The San Francisco call., 1906-06-05
LAY WHIP
On CINCH
COMPANIES
Insurance Concerns That
Want to Settle Stop
Obstruction.

The insurance companies that are
earnestly endeavorinE to make prompt
settlement with their pOIicy-hOIders
have evidently given up hope of working
fn accbrd with the recaIciGranf coacerns,
for yesterday the general adjusting
committee of fifteen adopted two resO-
lutiOns which will either whip the OBJ
EtructiOnists into the line of right do
fng or drive them from the adjustment
bureau.
According TO the plan of procedure
that has been in operation, the three
companies to which a big loss was as
signed for adjustment all had to agree
before report cOuIe be made Yester-
day il was decided that two of the
companies can make the report to the
general bureau.
The other resolution provides that IL
one Of the three adjusting companies is
nm Obstructionist, petition may be made
ny the two other companies 10 the main
body and another company substituted
for the one that VIII not act In har-
mOny.
If the cinch companies will not abide
by the adjustments thus made. they
must. of course, sever their affiIiation
with the bureau. How they will regard
the prospect of being held up 10 public
OpprObriam I'm this manner remains to
be seen.
In order TO defeat the obstruction
tactics of recalcitrant insurance COM
panies in adjusting and paying the big
fire losses in San Fraacisco. the general
committee of fifteen of the Fire Under
writer's Adjusting Bureau adopted two
resolutions yesterday. II has been the
method Of the general zdimETinp
mittee and its SUBJ committees to ap-
point three companies 10 attend TO the
adjusting work on large losses where
more than six companies were inter
ested in the risk, The adjuster for the
company having the largest loss in the
risk was a rule made chairman of
the adjusting board. All three COM
panies were expected to work together
at arriving at the amount of loss and
20 report back to the general adjusting
committee. This plan worked satisfac-
torily until recently, when several of
the companies affiliated with the Fire
Underwriters Adjusting Bureau baked
at the method being pursued by the
bureau. jumped the traces and fatty
refused TO labor ip harmony with the
other companies on the committees on
which they were appointed The result
was that some of the losses assigned
for adjustment weeks ago have not yet
the stand taken by the insurance firms
that are evidently playing for time has
had a demoralizing effect upon the
work Of the general adjusting com
mittee
TWO RESOLUTIONS PASSED.
To disarm the retarding companies
one resolution was adopted by the Cen
tral Adjusting Committee at its meet
ing in the ferry building yesterday
morning, declaring that any two of the
three companies named by a sub-com-
mittee to adjust loss shall hereafter
have full power to act and report
Another resolution was adopted declar-
Ing that in any case where an unusual
delay resulted in the adjusting of q
loss by reason of the refusal of a third
company to act promptly or to act
at all the other two remaining com
panies are empowered to request
the General Adjusting Committee to
substitute a company that would act
promptly and labor in harmony with
the other two companies,
1t is understood that. a great deal
of the trouble that has developed and
delayed the work of adjustment of the
Fire Underwriters Bureau comes from
two companies holding membership in
the Organization that have displayed a
tendency TO hoe their own row and TO
disregard the general plans mapped out