Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-11
PLAN FOR
PROTECTIVE CORPS
SURE OF RESULTS
MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION APPROVES
Head of Underwriters ORGANIZATION in Los Ange-
les Ready to Receive suggestions and For
ward Them to San Francisco, With
ApprOyaIii il Considered Feasible

them whether the Improvement would
be desirable from their point OF view.
This is not a new question so far as
we are concerned. IL has been dis
cussed in all Its phases by the COM
panies doing business i'm, Los Angeles.
Merchants Reduce Insurance
Some companies are in favor Of the
establishment Of protective DEPART
ment OF this kind other companies are
not.
"A protective department has been
maintained in San Francisco by the in
surance companies for more than
twenty years. Before the fire It con-
sisted of three companies which did
valiant service. The insurance COM
panies had exclusive control of the de-
partment because 1t was believed that
1t could be maintained at a higher eff
ficiency than under the control of any
one else. The men were well drilled,
equipped with modern apparatus and
many times / have seen them at fire
ready for action before the fire DEPART
ment could put in an appearance.
while the salvage corps was the
means of saving great amount for the
insurance companies in one way there
were initiating features against it in
another. We found that in a large
lection which we paid for the mer-
chants and property owners reduced
the amount of the insurance they were
carrying.
Works Loss to Insurance
"Often in a fire the entire loss was
sustained by us where the amount aof
the premium which we received did not
justify it. That is q merchant who might
have insured his holdings for so per cent
insured his holdings for so per cent
reduced this to 40 when the protective
department was added.
I'm case Los Angeles does have a
salvage corps I am not prepared to
say at this time whether or not it
would mean a reduction in the insur-
ance rates. The schedule provides no
credit for it.
Il suppose a department would re-
qulre station centrally located,
eighteen or twenty men, two wagons
and equipment. The cost of the last
would not be great.
II am not familiar with the situa-
ton in other large cities of the east
and do not know how the cost is ar
ranged there"
lndorsed by Robinson
Fire Commissioner Lester l.: Robin
son yesterday approved of the proposal
made by The Herald to establish a
salvage corps. TITS a good thing he
said, land deserving of support. If
report of the amount of property which
has been saved by the salvage corps
in San Francisco should be obtained 1
have no doubt that it would be one of
the best arguments in favor of Los
Angeles procuring a similar depart
mert.
"Their worth in saving property in
nerf in lines of b11ai11eG inastit,, I1Ja
Take for instance a fire which should
start in the top of one of the build
ings occupied by one of our depart
ment stores. While the fire might
never reach the department store it
self enormous loss might be sustained
from water The fire in the Douglas
building which brought great damage
TO the Blackstone Dry Goods company
Is one example Of this.
II do not believe that we should need
more than one company at first. This
could have its headquarters in the
heart of the downtown district.
One Enough at First
"As the conditions warranted this
company could be enlarged or new
ones created. The fire department at
this time is greatly hampered by a
want of funds. 1t may not be prac-
tical from the city's point of view to
pay for the establishment of n corps
of this character. AS has been sug-
gseted by Commissioner Walter Wren,
it is we'll to first learn how these sal
wage corps are maintained in other
large cities, also to find out what the
insurance companies are willing to do.
If the campaign for this improvement
is undertaken in the right way. 1 am
heartily for It,"
Mayor McAeer, when asked to give
his opinion OH the question, declined to
do so at this time "Chief Lips has in
charge affairs of this kind he said,
"and 1 have not had sufficient time to
investigate it, 1 shall govern my ac-
ton by his recommendation"