The San Francisco call., 1906-09-12
Rednan Gives Details
of the Steps to Be
Taken in Court.

Attorney L. A. Redman of the Policy
holders League explained yesterday
the necessity for the course that the
league has been compelled to take by
the slowness of poIicy-h holders. He said
that but 200 days remain in which to
bring suits against the welching fire
insurance companies and that at least
$50 suits a day must be brought during
that entire period to represent all the
policy holders of the German and Brit
ish and other companies that cannot be
reached except by legal process.
There was no time to lose, said Red
man. The time for registering policies
was. originally, September IS. Redman
found that there was no chance that a
sufficient number Of policies would be
registered in the required time to meet
the terms Upon which the Policy hold
ers' League was to proceed. and 50 no
tfce was given little earlier of the
abandonment of collections.
Policy holders who had registered
their policies with the Policy-hoiders'
League that collections might be made
passed in and out Of the leagues OF.
fees yesterday in the Midway building
on Market street from morning to
night. They had been notifed to come
in and get the money back that they
had deposited. to the amount Of l per
cent of the face value OF their claims.
They had receipts, which were pre-
scnted and the money was paid over
to them. Altogether large sum is
represented in the repayments.
Some of the heaviest risks in the
city were included among the assign
ment registrations OF policies. The
policyholders expressed regret that
the league had not received the sup
port that 1t was entitled to- and blamed
these whose desire to have some one
else carry the load for them. or who
were too careless to take the matter
up. as having caused the failure. They
were going back and forth through
the Midway building az Attorney Red
man detailed the facts to a reporter for
The Call.
II figure It this way" said Mr.. Red
man. "rhe amounts due from COM
panies that 1t will be necessary to sue.
outside of the many 'six-bit corpora
tions and others that are trying to
make cheap settlements, are about as
fellows:
Transatlantic, s4.50o,000.
Rhine and Moselle. $4,000. 000
"Ncrth German of Hamburg. $3.500.-
900.
Austrian Phoenix. s2,oo0oO0
'Willidmsburgh City. s1,000,000
Norwich Union and Indemnity. ss,-
100000.
Mullins Agency companies. 10000
o0o
North German of New York. $1,000
600.
This amounts in total TO SIS, 900, 900
and represents 5000 suits to be
brought 1t is well that the legal fra
ternity of San Francisco should un-
derstand the magnitude of this prop
osition, for there is no time to be lost
and only the greatest industry will
suffice to get the cases into court be-
fore the time limit of one year shall
expire on April Is. 1907
1T is not true that the polfcy-hold-
ers have one year and sixty days IN
which to bring suit. The policies have
been changed so that, Notwithstanding
anv decision that may have been made
earlier, the limit of time is one year
and no more. Five months have al
ready passed since the San Francisco
fire. and not more than $50 suits have
be en- filed to date. In addition to the
suits against the companies mentioned
In the foregoing, many other corpora
tfons may be brought into court"