The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1905-12-15
FIRE INSURANCE MEETING.

FIRE INSURANCE MEETING.
The members of the Mutual Insuranc,
Company met in Bel Air on Monday
Mr.. John A. Evans presided, with MIR
John B. Hanna as secretary. The chair
man appointed the following committee
to receive proposed amendments to The
constitution and examine the statement
furnished by the directors to the mem
bers, to report at the meeting to be hello
on January 1.
The report of the directors is very in
teresting and satisfactory, being the best
that has been made in the past tifteer
years, at which time the present system
of bookkeeping went into effect. The
amount of insurance written during the
past twelve months exceeds any previ
Gus year, being double that of 1904
New risks during the year reached
$3,6SO, $50 so, for which 2,12S policies
were issued. In 1904, 1000 policies
were issued, on which the risk was
$1,771 ,917. The gross income for the
year was S5O,2S6.65, being an increase
of 81, 54O95 over 1904. The fire losses
were $27, 29O Il, being SILL 40 less
than the preceding year The profit and
loss account shows a net gain OF
S9,S95.O3. In 1904, there was a loss Of
SIS, 116 40. After paying the losses and
operating expenses for the year and
$6,6135O of indebtedness carried over
from the preceding year, there is now in
bank a balance of SO. 332.51.
The change of policies to the form re-
quired under recent act of the Legisla.
ture, necessitates the substitution oil
5000 new policies. While the Board
recognizes that this change should be
made as speedily as possible, yet it is not
practicable to do the entire work in a
limited period, and it will require about
two years more to finish, about one.
third having been rewritten.
Especial stress has been laid on the
systematizing OF all office work. and it is
now possible with light additional ex.
pense to satisfactorily handle double the
volume of business of the preceding year.
The report of Inspector ]. l.. McCor'
mick shows that with the exception OF
the month of July, when he was not en-
gagged in work for the company and re-
ceived no salary, he has spent busy
time with the diversified duties of his Of
fee As there was no local agent in Be
Air for awhile, he looked after the inter
ests of the company and wrote 155 poll
cies, the risks on which amounted tc
$295, 462, and the mutual premium $50,
$50 IL. He also assisted new agents
with their work, giving them credit fol
the same. During the illness of the com
panys adjuster, he attended to that part
of the business, investigating and adjust
ing 13 losses. In addition to this, hi
made sos regular inspections, besides &
number of special inspections and rein
spections. The effect of this work is hare
to estimate in dollars, but probably ha:
resulted in saving the company large
sum. There never have been so many
chimneys repaired in any five years of thu
company's existence as has been done IL
the past twelve months. 1t is not ONLY
the defects remedied by these inspections
but the salutary effects of making peopl
more careful themselves, and causing EN-
ployees of the company to be more exac
in making their surveys, and requiring
the applicants to fulfill the requirement.
reinsurance Recommendations regard
ing the prohibition of smoking abou
barns, and more watchfulness of chime.
fues and stove.pipe holes were als'
made.
The fire losses for the year are classified
as follows:
Dwellings. 5,65S. A.
Barns and tables................ 15,772.6j
Outbuildings... ...................... 1,l49.2'
General merchandise stores. 4,O6S.O'
Grocery and provision stores $500
The causes of fire are classified as fol
lows:
Lamp explosions 11O.7'
| Sparks from friction of matches ITO
| Defective acknowledgements. 5, 126. s.
Unprotected stoves and stove
pipes. 599.1
| Overheated toves.................. 5000
Sparks from acknowledgements. ,343. o
Sparks from woods fres...... COG. s
Lightning ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 2, 429 o
Supposed observation-disclosures. 1924. 2
| Unknown auses.....................1 ,O76.3
The greater part of the losses charge
to unknown causes is on barns and sta
bles. In many cases this is undoubtedl
due to carelessness of either owners c
employees, while smoking or handlin
matches. The report also comments O
the short campaign that was wage
against the company when the form
its policies was changed. The bait
against Misrepresentation was shor
sharp, and its results highly satisfactor
The statement shows that the cor
pany is today stronger and better alb
to offer adequate protection than it h;
ever before been.
OUR LOCAL STORES.