New-York tribune., 1900-05-06

ally made only while the fires are drawn At
such uFnes TOO the operatives, working long
over their usual time. become tired and negli-
gent and the men whose especial duty 1t is to
clean up after ordinary working hours are glad
enough to get home for a little sleep without
any great effort in the discharge of their duties
But l must say that it is generally believed
that electricity is the most potent single cause
OF hres IN these great risks which have been
ourhlng- In the last twenty years, electricity
mas probably cost the country more than $3.50
oooOoo In fire losses, and yet, so far as | know
the hre insurance companies have never charged
an extra rate for risk equipped with this in
cendiary. In such time as this when the ca
paclty for electric lighting is taxed to the ut
most, and when the time for repairs is dimin-
ished through the constant use of the wires and
lights the defects which rapidly grow, even to
an instalment originally put in according to
rules, the dangers from the use of electricity
are much greater than in seasons when the cleo
trio wires and lights of place are in use only
comparatively small portion of the time"
this?"
We'll, that is difficult to say Rates have
been advanced in New-York City, in Phiadel-
phia and in Chicago. Here and there as on
grain elevators in Milwaukee, there has been
specific advance, but the advances that have
been made will be scarcely appreciable toward
meeting the enormous losses OF the entire
try The National Board of Fire Underwriters
Is to meet in this city next week, extremely
important association, comprising in its
bership representatives of most of the American
and foreign companies This Board has no di-
rect duty of establishing rates anywhere but
when its members get together they will have
table of statistics presented them in the annual
address of the president which may spur them
TO action through some other machinery than
that of their own association. Indeed some
months ago committee of twenty-five under
writer's was appointed by the president of the
National Board to consider the necessity of re-
forms and improvements. and don't know but
what that committee will be expected to report
at the next meeting. l am not member of the
National Board. and cannot state positively.
TRUST METHOD NOT APPLICABLE.
AT such a time of rates totally Inadequate
to meet the phenomenal losses it is an extraor-
binary coincidence that the companies partly
voluntarily and partly through the enforcement
tional stamp tax. have been increasing their
expenses. The addition to the average ex-
penses Of the companies in the last six years
would have been deemed six years ago hand
some profit to make the entire business The
main element of expense is the commission paid
10 local agents. No one company, nor even a.
few companies cooperating can diminish this
expense, for the moment company endeaV-
ors to reduce the commissions other companies
step in and offer the agent, if he has good busi-
ness, the old rate of commission, and the first
company thus loses Its entire revenue from
every place where ii attempts to encourage re-
forms without sufficient support through the
cooperation of other companies
Has the method Of the trust which has been
tried in sugar and in oil, and in some other
lines. ever been proposed" ?" the insurance man
asked.
Yes. In the desperation of managers who
see the profits made in previous days rapidly
flowing out for the payment of losses the trust
method has been spoken of. but no attempt has
deemed totally inapplicable to the fire Insurance
situation