The San Francisco call., 1906-06-17
Dollar for Dollar Com
panies to Decide on
Course Tomorrow.
Committee Will Submit
Report on Attaining
Expedition.
Still Hope to Prevent a
Disruption Of the
Bureau.

OAKLAND, June 16.-At meeting
held this afternoon in the ONCE OF
Manager w. j. Landers of the London
Assurance Corporation and the Niagara
Fire Insurance Company the committee
of five representing the dollar-for-dol-
lar insurance firms drafted a tentattve
plan to facilitate the adjustment and
settlement of San Francisco fire losses,
which plan is to be submitted for the
consideration and action OF the thirty
four corporations at a session that will
probably be held next week.
All of the members of the COMMITTEES
were present at the conference today.
They were: w. NJ .Rament of the Hcme
Insurance Company of New York. p. c.
Royce of the Hartford Fire Insurance.
Company. w. j. Landers Of the London
Assurance Corporation aud the Mag
ara Fire Insurance Company, Roll1 v.
Watt of the Royal OF Liverpool and the
Queen of New York, and w. Irving OF
the Phoenix Assurance Company Otd)
of London and the Pelican Assurance
Company of New York
Relative to the work accomplished
by the committee of five, Mr. Landers
said: We met and outlined plan that
we believe viii do much TO hasten the
ad djustment and settlement OF losses.
The plan is tentative one and may be
revised. adopted or rejected by the
thirty-four companies the COMMITTEES
represents The details OF the plan I
am not free TO give out at this time.
as our recommendations must hrst go
to the companies for their action"
EXPEDITION is SOUGHT.
Another member OF the COMMITTEES
of five said: The object Of the plan
we devised today is to bring about
speedier sand more satisfactory results
in the adjusting and disposition OF the
San fire The Dlan =
one that concerns only the thirty-four
companies that have been designated
the dollar r-fOr- dollar companies, and
will be submitted to them alone. What
ever action those companies take on
the matter will not concern the other
companies"
The thirty-four companies dre acting
as an organization, and that body will
pass upon the plan the committee OF
five has prepared for presentation The
primary object of the plan is to hasten
the adjustment and payment of the
big San Francisco losses IN a manner
that will be more satisfactory to the
thirty-four companies than the present
system. which has not operated as well
as was expected The adoption OF the
plan we have drafted does not mean
that the thirty-four companies inter-
ested viii break away from the Fire
Underwriters Adjusting Bureau.
Bureau was formed solely for the pur-
pose of facilitating the adjustment CT
big San Francisco losses in when l1ore
than six companies We're involved and
it is estimated that there are nearly 5000
such losses Only 1100 of them have been
assigned to loss comrhittees. The Lu-
reau had power to deal only with ad-
iustments, the question of the liability
Of the companies being entirely with
out its province. 1t was the dilatory
tactics of the loss committees that
brought about the dissension in the
Fire Underwriters Bureau. which has
almost caused disruption of the
organization.
WANT To SAVE BUREAU.
The smaller companies persistentIy
delayed work on the loss committee on
which they were assigned by falling to
act with the larger companies. some
of the weaker firms held that the
larger companies were too generous in
the adjustment of 1OSsest and often
took exception to the findings OF com
mittees. The little fellows blocked
proceedings as mucn as they could in
2FceF to stave of as .orss as possible
the time when the matte~ OF liability
would be determined AMI u showdown
become necessary
Representatives Of the thirty-four
dollar-for-dollar companies saw thar
they do not want to desert the Fire I'm
derwrlters Adjusting Bureau If such a
move can be prevented. but that for
tnelr own mutual protection and for
the good name Of the insurance busi-
ness they are determined to do busf-
ness in business-Iike way If other
companies are permitted 10 hamper the
companies that are ready and willing
to settle their losses. the managers OF
the thirty-four companies assert that it
Will be necessary for them to pursue
different course from that which
seems to be favored by three-quarters
of the companies involved in the San
Francisco losses.
. LANDERS MAKING PAYMENTS.
Manager w r. Landers of the Lon
don Assurance and the Niagara Fire
stated today that the former concern
has already paid out nearly one-thfrd
OF million dollars on its San Fran
cisco risks and that the Niagara Com
pany had handed out nearly fifth OF
a million dollars TO it's policy holders
Manager B. J. smith OF the Connecti-
cut Fire said today that his company
had settled nearly one-third of it's San
francisco losses and had paid out
nearly $500. 000-
The thirty-four companies repre-
sented by the COMMITTEES of five which
met today are:
Niagara Fire.
Continental of New York
London Assurance.