Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-10-28
Pertinent Facts About Insurance for
Farmers TO Consider

FdTIncTS 10 COnSl0eT.
The Farmers Union Mutual Fire
and Lightning Insurance Associa tic.
of Howard and Winnesheik countles
was organized little more than four
teen years ago. The amount of it
risks January /, 1904, was 1927 1903
The cost per 81 900 for insurance du,
ing the year 1903 was 50 IA and for th,
entire five preceding years but SO IA
for each $1,000 insured (See report of
auditor of state for 1904, page 62-3).
For the year 1904 owing to the large
number of barns insured, destroyed
from the effects of lightning and of
cattle and horses killed from the same
cause, and other fire losses the asso.
citation has made its assessment
mills, about the same as the regula,
rate of tie old line insurance compa
MES which with the aid of the az. nts
oflthe old liners has created somewha,
OF panic among those insured in the
local association.
From the report of the auditor OF
state We learn that of all the mutual
Insurance companies of the state re.
sisted the payment of losses aggregat.
ing the sum of S23,SO6,77 and tina,
among those resisting payment the
Howard and Winnesheik Mutual is
not included. The association had
one case in which pay.
ment was deferred for the reason
that there were two claimants for the
award, Mr.. Q. Fl. Weber, OF Orleans
and Mr.. Goocher, former owner OF
the farm. That the money insight be
PAID to the right party the matter OF
the two claimants had to be decided
10 court, and as soon as that was set
tied the party entitled to the money
gotit in full 81, 248 for the loss of barn.
hay, grain and implements burned
therein. This is all there is of that
matter which has been exaggerated
and grossly misrepresented to the det-
riment of the local association.
From the report of the auditor of
state we are enabled to give the ag-
gregate of resisted payments of losses
by the old line co npanies for 1903 do
ing business in Iowa, which may be
found on pages 1889 of said report,
and given at 81, l3l ,059.S2. These facts
from official sources ought to silence
the representatives Of the old line in
surance companies about the evil OF
resisting payment of losses.
Another Misrepresentation made is
that OF salaries paid by the local asso.
citation to its agents and representa-.
tiyes. Reference to the report
TO the auditor of state will
show that the total sum received by
officers and employees of the associa-
ton was but S5Ol l6 and that the total
expenses which included salaries and
the losses from fires and lightning was
buts6, 294.96. The total receipts from
assessments for the year were s5, 9O9. $50.
We were told by Senator Lyons some
months ago of an investigation by a
legislative committee of the state in
which 1T was ascertained that IA per
cent OF the premiums collected by the
Old line companies in Iowa went to
the agents and official representatives
OF the companies doing business in the
state. Asimilar rate for the local as
ISOLATION would have given its officers
$4,373 81 instead of s5Ol.l6. =
This article is not written in the in.
terest of the pnion Mutual Associa-
ton of Howard and Winneshelk coun-
Ties, which for some reason, personal
or political, bestows its printing and
JOB work elsewhere, but In the inter,
est OF the farmers of the county, that
they may not be buncoed out of their
money by deceptive statements and
mnisrepresentA tion of facts.