The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-10-05

city. aud similarly affected hy the pres. /
ence or absence Of competent apparatus and |
institutions for fighting FIRE. inese cassl |
hrationS are already made by the com |
ranies and the state would have their |
DEFINITE experience In relation thereto,
Now, the assessors having CLASSIFIED the /
property, very easy task. as belonging |
to the first second third. cite. |
class, the cost OF insurance upon such |
property wou.,. be Just the average amount |
~ losses sustained hy such class plus !
= per cent SAY, for collection by the reg
ular taN collector and Per cent for the |
| payment " trained lire adjusterS,
NO policies would he required. The state |
should adopt the average policy conditions /
ana limitations of liability Of the present
companies nc policies should then al
| br written In single statute on the
| statute books Of the state; aud all that
| expense pf time and labor would he saved
| me state would require 40 capital as is
! function would be merely that OF Airport on.
ing premiums 10 losses. All the endless
nnnoyanceS. incident to the uncertainty Of
tue status Of the present companies would
| be saved.
4 the owner OF property paid his taxes
ana the amount allotted 10 his property for
insurance, by q certain day, then he woul
| be insured; II he DELAYED payment OF taxes
! and Insurance apportonmcnt. he would osc
! his insurance during such delay; that II
he failed to- pay his taxes etc. when due
| and IRE occurred before their payment, sc
| would lose his Insurance lust ms with the
| present companies. II would be readily
seen what a good tax collector state ire
| insurance would prove.
! Again. the maximum Of insurance al
! lowed the insured would be determined by
! the maximum assessment Of his ipsurab. g
! property for purposes of taxation. 1t Is
! the common experience that owners are
| not assessed up to the full market value
! OF their property, lnusmuch as thcy e. ul
not insure for higher amount than they
/ were willing to pay taxes the Statc would
! he secure from over valuation of property
I In cases Of loss. Inasmuch MS the owner
! might desire to enhance his Insurance. he
/ might submit to a higher assessment of
IDT he Of fTtatlG
taxation II is evident that these two con.
| Tdcratuns mutually operating would pro-
duce II very FAIR and Just valuation, hoth
for the purposes Of State taxation and
state insurance.
The State aud the State alone would seem
then to possess the three clements Of per-
/ feet assurance. First, IL would furnish per
feet security to insured the State can no.
fail untll society itself has fallen. second,
! 1t possesses the means and fiscal system for
economic insurance IN its prescnt assess
nlcnt and tax collection system; all the
useless expenditures now In vogue would
| hr eliminated. Third. IL would Insure all
property With unimportant except ous the
terrifying spectacle of uuindcmnn, own,
ers, losing the totality of their lives lahors,
would forever pass away
state fire insurance is thus recommended
for "A great number Of reasons snail
enumeratc few of them.
l. BY a greatly decreased cost Of insur-
ancc. At least 40 per cent of the present
cost would be- saved.
=. II would greatly increase the security.
| ~ N'HAN 'HA NV A'''A NiAiiN f''''N'' ''E'''
fails
3. An immense amount of nsurable prop
erty not now insured would be insured at
its proper cost. Private companies can not,
IL they would remedy this defect of their
nature Under the proposed plan insur,
ancc would 20 wlth the, tax collector, and
being cheap would not be refused.
A. Relief from worry, as to unprecedented
iuadoqudcy, In financial way, OF the com
pauy carrying insurance to meet its OBJ
;, The great time and labor saved in
having policies reduced into the form of a
q. Nearly every state In the Union Is
now obliged 10 conduct an Insurance de-
partment to guard its citizens, when pos
sblc. against fake companies. These de
partments furnish basis for state tire in.
! surance; and the money now spent ON them
would be saved to the state,
Z. State fire insurance would secure Il
. perfect harmony and correspondence of IN
! tcrcst between the insurance department
ana the numerous hose companies and
other property saving agencies Now there
Is no such correspondence: and commuut
, ties must often feel that In establishing
such dre lighting agencies they are only
saving more premiums for the insurance
companies II is true that he present
, COMPANIES recognize somewhat the distiuc
tion between protected and unprotcct I'd
property risks. but not cu9ligli
$ II would not bc 'acce@sary TO add q
single officer 10 the service Of the State
except trained adlustcr 10 the preseu
/ insurance departments. Inc entire hsca
system for fire insurance already exists II
, % Every division Of civil government now
, existing in the United States has Immense
property interests of its own, which re
I qurc Insurance.
5 capital now devoted TO advertising The
- greatness Of the present companies. NJ IS
/ Of course, apparent that the state woul,
Finally. It would be u lesson 10 the peoo
upon the prudence of attending TO thgl
own business. and good example In Ma
OF coursc Tie writer recognizes the grca
4 contribution OF private IRE insurance con-
- panics To general progress 1t would b.
better, certainly, to continue paying pres
7 | Cnt prices for Insurance than to nave II pm
al all. Judged from the individual stand
. point There Is hardly an Institution II
- history or now existing that was not NOR
q | or less necessary and useful in the pcrio
@ Of its birth, But al they supplanlcd som
II | less efficient progenturs, so In this be
> should ineffective private trc insuran"
% clear the way for more efficient agency
@ Fire Insurance, as I have said before,
@ but the very Qulntesscnce of cooperation
% and that being "a. the cooperative at
s entitled TO the best method they can hhC
# Government itself Is but cooperation q
S its many human constituents for the nm
nose of keeping the peace later to bun
Il roads, establish schools. hospitals. etc, az
o in nearly every enlightened country OF ~
VI world to own and operate teiegrhphs, RAJ
II roads and many other enterprises, wh"l
: society may excel the private cltzen i
" fhe performance Of function. II is trI
y tthh, IA mon and vested interests are A
Y WAYS ready tn cry Ike children when IA
e objects OF habit seem falling from the
CRASH But the future belongs 10 the II
10 ture and not TO the prejudice and selhsl
l. The objections which ! opprehend will
IS made against state fire insurance are ahOt
" the same as the Eighteenth century offera
'r to tho establishing Of public schools.
10 This case they would lake about thf,
r. That hre insurance Is none Of Il
states business Oh, well, but IT is. Wa