The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-04
Joseph A Rogers the State Board Who Read Paper
Ancient and Modern Methods at the Under
: - ~ : writers Banquet.
WENSFS DdfIQBots

cent; in 1898, At; 1899, SIS; 1900, 1872,
owing to the cold storage and other
large fires; 1901, So, and 1902, 1922. He
showed that premiums Of board COM
panies in 1901 amounted to $7O7, 900,
and losses $305,000, while the compa-
MES, not represented received premi-
un1s am9qatias to- $4,000 In 1902
premiurhs awefe $730Ae8, and losses
$350,000, while the non-represented
companies received about 100000 in
premiums. The good showing he held
to be due to the efficiency of the local
agents and inspectors, the efficient fire
department and the services of the spe-
cial agents. 80 .gt.@ s-
Duties of Local Agents.
Marcellus L. Counryrnan spoke upon
the duties of local agents. He cited a
number of questions IN which local
agents are interested relative to their
liabilities in certain contingencies, es-
pecially in relation to the. cancellation
of policies and cases where agents fail
to write insurance paid f6r before the
loss which 1t is supposedgto cover oc-
ours. He cautioned AGENTS that a re-
quest from the company to cancel in
surance was as binding as peremp-
tory order. S2fn
: Joseph A. Rogers, president of the
state board of local agents, was the
"A woman in love IS more or less fool
1sh, but she never finds 1t out as long as
the man is good to her.
AS Ion gas the gods Of profits and diyi-
dend were good to the fire underwriters
everything ran smoothly, but when they
turned their backs and underwriting prof
ishness somewhere. And that body of
men called Western Union set out to
find what the trouble was and they were
not compelled to look far before they dis
n
Years ago, a NeStor of the insurance
business gave the following definition of
ire underwriting: Get the profit rate,
scatter, lines, avoid careless people, elimi-
nate the moral hazard" This is the
ancient definition.
Get the profit rate" Well last Jam
uary the Western Union started to get it
by devising new schedules for application
to certain risks, but the losses came in SO
rapidly that they thought a Is per cent
fat advance proper, and ordered it in
force in March. p--,f,.- ~~s,-s.~-.
Until the new schedule, advancing rates
on specials and contents of all buildings
and frame mercantile buildings and de-
creasing it on brick mercantile, could
be applied by an increased force of in
spectors. April showed losses about equal
20 premium receipts; May a slight profit;
June little larger profit; July good in
crease, and August still increasing and
then September found so much profit that
a rev companies began to be effected with
blindness and passed business without the
advance, and without the charge for I'm
approved lighting devices. This caused
trouble, and, at meeting of the union
called special in December. it was decided
to direct the 25 per cent advance called
off of fifth and sixth class towns but I'd
still collect it in third and fourth class
towns, as yet unrated. Or in other words
gentlemen, we find ratesfdecreased in I'M
protected towns and increased in protected
| ones. "A peculiar situation, it seems to
me, and 1t looks to a man cup a tree as
though the union had given us a compro-
missed verdict, and these verdicts are al
ways unjust to all parties concerned.
AS to Scattering Lines.
Scatter your lines. That this rule is
often violated is the sad experience OF
nearly all companies, and this is an evil
mat can be evenly divided and charged
TO the agent and the companies, because
OF the greedinesS of one for the commits
sion, and of the other for The premium
it Is a feature of our business that car
pest be controlled by level headed field
man with the proper authority.
avoid careless people Thousands OF
dollars are paid out in losses annually
which are caused by pure and criminal
avoided.
"A burnt child breads the fire: is a
god old maxim, but it does not seem
10 have much effect in some companies, A
neld man who is capable Of using his
brains can save his company many thou