The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-12-19
Notified Yesterday Of Insurance Co.'s
Decision.
No More Discrimination
Against Portland.
Underwriters Convinced of Safe
ty of This Port.

The committee of Portland gentlemen
composed of Hon. Charles +. Libby, Al
hart b, Hall, Captain John W. Desring,
Clarence A. Hight and British Vice Con
sui John b. Heating, chosen to invssti-
gate the condition OF the insurance rates
at this port and the port Of Boston, have
accomplished tine work which VIII Do
of much bsnetit to Portland. Two OF
the committee at Boston interviewed the
underwriters at that port and 1t was the
freely expressed opinion of them all that
the idea of discriminating against Port
land on the ground OF Its being an unsafe
port was most absurd and without the
slightest justification. 1t is true that
several ships In recent years have been
lost at sea after leaving this port but
none OF these cases were due to the fact
of Portland being a dangerous harbor.
1t was proven by the COMMITTEES that
only first class vessels left this Dort, that
the cargoes were well and skilfully
slowed and that the increased export
trade which last year amounted to BIG, 7le
tons exclusive OF II, 44l cattle, s,l76 sheep
and 74l horses, entitled Portland to be
rated as port of no mean Importance.
The pr aspects of a new elevator and cold
storage at once appealed to tina enterprise
OF the American underwriters and the
committee, through It's energetic chair
man, MIR. Libby, showed by actual statis-
tics and description OF vessels chartered
for the winter services that Portland was
now in a position to command respect
from It's sister ports. The class of ships
now coming to Portland, the route of the
different lines as now agreed to by the
various companies and their distribution
were carefully considered by the under
writer's. These with uniform winters
route, bringing the vessels into the Bos-
ton route, have all tended TO bring about
a most satisfactory ending OF what
threatened to impede Portland in her re-
marKable growth and prosperity "a an
all-the-year round port
In the winter season OF 1878 the total
exports from Portland over the Grand
Trunk amounted to only S7.l26 tons
which were carried in thirty-four steam
ers. Last year there were ninety -one
steamers and this winter under satisfac-
tory conditions there Will be total OF
from ll5 to 100 steamers while the ex'
ports are expected TO increase fully thirty
per cent over those OF last year.
Yesterday the chairman OF the commit
tee received communication from the
Boston Marine Insurance company stat
ing that that company would charge the
same rates for shipments from Portland
as 1t charged from Boston provided that
the steamers are as good.
This practically settles the question of
ocean insurance discrimination especially
when it is considered That the Boston In
surance company has an interest In the
pool which regulates the insurance rates
in Canada and which has its headquarters
in Montreal Ths English underwriters
will Of oourse scarcely wish to have the
insurance of Portland freight slip
through their fingers, but If they do OF
course the shippers can and probably will
even now avail themselves OF the very
sensible stand taken by the American
underwriters, placing Portland OH a
parity with Boston.