The San Francisco call., 1906-07-08
Companies Are Devoting
Their Attention to
Chinatown S Claims

/ OAKLAND, July 7.-1nsurance losses
in San Francisco's annihilated China
town, estimated to be about s2,00o,0o0,
are now receiving attention from the
adjusters and representatives of the
companies involved and settlements are
being made. 1t is alleged by some Of
those who are acting for the Chinese
policy holders that a number Of the
insurance companies. including several
that are listed with the dollar-for- dol
lar concerns, are scaling liabilities and
compromising with their Mongolian
/ patrons on terms that the companies
! would not venture to propose to Cau-
| casian claimants This allegation is
denied, however, by adjusters and man
ayers of some of the companies who
declare that they are dealing with Chi
nese policy holders in the same man
ner that they are settling with others.
! The largest company risk in China
town was carried by the Transatlantic
of Germany, which is now in financial
( straits by reason of the corporation S
loss of nearly s5,ooo,ooo in San Fran
cisco. Other companies that operated
extensively in Chinatown were the
Aetna. London and Liverpool and
Globe. North British and Mercantile,
Commercial Union of London. Norwich
Union, Royal Exchange, Prussian Ma
tional Svea, Agricultural. Globe and
Rutgers. Delaware and the American
| of Philadelphia.
BROKERS MAKING MONEY.
William Gardner of the firm Of
Gardner & Dye, with Offices at the cor
ner of Ninth and Harrison streets, was
the agent for the Transatlantic, and.
being a fluent speaker of Chinese,
wrote a great part of the insurance
| that was carried by the German COM
pany in Chinatown. Gardner is now
acting as adviser and collector for
Chinese policy-holders in the various
companies and is doing a prosperous
business in commissions.
Managers and adjusters of companies
prefer to deal with their Chinese ell
ents through their own interpreters
and for this reason they have frowned
! upon the practice Of the Chinese claim
| ants turning policies over to collectors
and attorneys. When such policies are
presented they are invariably placed
at the bottom of the waiting list, pref
erence in disposition being given to the
policies that are brought in by the
| holders.
Relative to the insurance conditions
in SO far as Chinese with policies ma
| tured by the San Francisco fire are
concerned Gardner said:
There was approximately $4,000, 900
| in insurance carried by the Chinese in
Chinatown. Most of this was on mer-
| chandise, household effects and furni-
| ture and the remainder on about forty
buildings that were owned by Chinese.
The Transatlantic Company, for which
1 was agent, carried 100000 in risks
on Chinatown property. I had policy
| of $4,000 myself in the same company,
and it looks now as If the Transatlan-
tic claimants will not fare well. The
Chinese policy-holders in the Trans
atlantic are TO join with the other pol
icy-holders that are to form an organi-
zation for Investigating the affairs of
the company and formulate a plan of
proceeding against the Transatlantic
and collecting claims.
CHINESE NOT DISHONEST.
'It has been said that the Chinese are
dishonest in making out their proofs of
loss, but 1t has been my experience IN
assisting them in this work that they
overlook naming many articles because
they considered them to be of trivial
value. From my knowledge of the Chi
nese I am satisfied that they are as
truthful and honest in dealing with the
insurance people as is any other class
| of people. 1t ie not true that policies
owned by Chinese are being held back
by agents and brokers with the pur-
pose of exacting stiff commissions from
the Chinese for settling and collecting
| the claims"
Yat Owyang, bright Chinese stu
dent at the University of California,
has opened an office in room Is in the
new building at the corner of Ninth
and Harrison streets for the purpose
of assisting his countrymen in their
dealings with the insurance companies.
| Owyang asserts that some insurance
spectators have secured the policies of
many Chinese and are holding them
with the object of doing business with
the insurance companies and at the
same time holding out commission
for themselves.
Harry L. Rolf, general agent for
! the Home Fire Insurance Com
pany of New York, who is look
ing after the settlement of the
corporations liabilities in China
town, states that the Home carried
about 14o policies in the Mongolian
section and that third of these
have already been settled Rolf asserts
| that he exercised usual care in going
! over a proof of loss submitted by Chi
nese, as he found many of them pad
| ded and doctored.
REMOVAL IS of NO AVAIL.
I r