The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-03-19
BUSINESS
MEN CONFER
What Has Been Done to I'm
prove Conditions, The Fire
Insurance Rates.
OIL VS.. WATER FOR STREETS

The Business Mems Association
held its annual meeting in the hall
of the Y. M. G. A. last Tuesday even
ing, about forty men being in attend
ance. Secretary-treasurer, S. G. Grif-
| fifth reported $170 collected from dues
during the past year and expenditures
of S71.90, leaving a balance on hand of
S9S.10. The membership is about
eighty-fve paid members, while there
are about forty more who signed the
roll, but have not paid.
President Smith made a report for
the year. telling of the organization
with the idea prominent that factories
would be secured, if possible. He said
the directors had been swamped with
schemes, all the applicants claiming
to have experience, but little else.
Three propositions were carefully con-
sidered and he told Of the negotiations
with the Photograph Co, which it was
thought had been secured, but finally
faded away and purchased land and
built a factory at Newark. The trou-
BILE seemed to be lack of facilities to
carry away the immense quantity OF
water used in the factory, the proba-
biiity of difficulty in securing local
labor and the need of about forty or
fifty houses. Two oil cloth factories
were also given careful consideration,
but were not secured. Mr. Smith said
that money was the consideration
asked in almost every case and the
committee had failed to see where the
amounts needed could be raised, or
where there would be sufficient profit
to warrant the outlay on the part of
| business men.
1t was decided to continue the or
gani1ation and nominating commit
tee was appointed consisting of j. f.
Runyon, G. Fl. Dalrymple and John
| SimminS.
| Harold Griswold was then intro
duced to ospeak on the subject of the
fire insurance rates. He said he was
in an unfortunate position, being
resident of the town as we'll as an in
Surance man. He declared chat since
1899, Morris and few other counties
had had no regular rates for fire in
surance. The underwriters thought
that rates should pe fixed and rates
equalized, consequently had force of
men at work last summer inspecting
the risks and fixing rates according to
their schedule. The plan was to make
a three story brick building here COM
mand the same rate as like building
in town with the same class of fire de-
partment say as Plainfield or Eliza.
beth, while at the same time a man
who built standard building should
have the advantage over his neighbor
whose building is not standard.
The rates are high, higher than
they should be. For instance, an ex-
ira rate is charged for wooden ash
barrels, swinging gas jets, wooden
cornices, litter in cellar, blind attics,
etc. When the defects noted are
cared for, the rate should be about
seyenty-fve cents on brick buildings.
Then walls are not up to standard
sixteen inches for the first two stories
and twelve for the third, parapets on
top and hatchwayS for stairs connect
ing floors reduce the rates. A twenty
FIVE cent charge for burning litter in
the back yards was also added.
Since the rates were put in force on
November first, there have been about
four hundred revisions, all caused by
improvements except in two cases
where the rates were increased.
The question was not that the rates
are too high, but they are not high
enough to gain the purpose which is
improvement in conditions.
Fires are only help to builders and
crooks and he thought the results
would prove satisfactory to reasonable
men. Mr.. Griswold also discussed the
rate on contents, telling of the classi-
tications of stores and going into a
lengthy explanation of co-insurance.
Committees can be appointed to con-
fer with the underwriters committees
and the agents are ready to tell the
causes of increases in rates.
Mr.. Hurting asked why the insur-
ance on his building near the Lacka-
wanna had been withdrawn and he
could only get rate of five per cent.
here, while he could get insured at
three per cent. in New York. Neither
could he secure any reasonable answer
to his questions as to what is the mat
ter. Mr.. Griswold referred him to
Mr.. McKechnie as the man who could
give the reasons. Then Mr.. Hurtzig
asked who he was, whether he had ad-
vertised his presence and powers and
whether he had sign out, also other
pertinent questions.
Chief Engineer Runyon wanted to
know why the owners were not told of
the findings before their policies ex-
pire and they find themselves raised.
Mr.. Griswold said the local agents
should tell the owners, but they had
not acted with the underwriters in
the matter of the examinations for
some reasons. Mr.. Runyon asked for