The San Francisco call., 1908-03-01
STARTLING FIGURES
IN FIRE PREMIUMS
Sums Paid by San Francisco
Compared to Entire State
Are Tabulated
Total Burden on City for Year
1907 Amounts to More
Than S5,6OO,OOO

L-.rHlfte IN ltN4 WlTnin Sl.NNl.DnN : OF the
total cost for IRE insurance in the en-
tire state OF California in 1898. and ac-
:tnally within $4,000. 600 Of the total
! aTro ant paid by the entire state as
late as 1902. This rather understates
than overstates the facts. for the fig
ures Tor 1e07. procurable 10 date. ex
esude premiums paid 70 some large in
'surance companies in this city.
The prussiar National Royal Ex-
change. Scotch Underwriters. Concor-
dia, German Alliance. Hanover. North
=: western NATIONAL Philadelphia Under
writer's. Phenix Of Brooklyn VIII
-lismsbdrg City. Camden and Franklin
have al failed 70 make known the
amount of business they did in san
Francisco III 1907. With these missing
from the column Of returns Of Are in
.surance- in - San. Francisco last wear
premiums paid by the people Of this
city alone amount - s5598.+75.
The companies mentioned as not in
cipced in this list added heavily in
the aggregate TO this great burden for
the service they performed. 50 that the
total payments in city premiums viii
be found to amount to more than s5.-
eoo.0oo. as fore1ol6 exclusively IN The
Can when the original showing reia-
tive 70 the insurance Incubus was pub
lished. Indeed. there. need be no sur
prise II the sum total. Of city paid
premiums. on property: situated ex-
clusively in san Francisco. shall
amount 70 near s6.000,O00 ,in round fg-
ures for the calendar year Of 1907.
RISKS IN THE STATE
Companies not reporting san Fran
cisco premiums received but. reported
premiums on their California. business
took the following sums on riskg in
the state.
Prussisn National sai .sar. Rovai Exchange.
s5s 5s7; scotch Underwriters. Sc. SOS: GERMAN
Alliance. Sso. .3o4: PbeniS Of Brooklyn 500. 7e4 !:
y MMillismsouTe City. Ss5s4e; Camden. S24, s73;
Franklin. $50 eo4: Hsnover SSS. SD.
The state premiums of these nine
companies not accounted for in the San
Francisco premium payments; there
fore, amounted to s4Ss,s2l The ratio
OF the city premiums to those IN. the
state. deducting the state premiums OF
the nine companies from the state to-
tai OF s15,6Te.e50 as reported to date.
would be found IN the comparison OF
the city premiums Of s5s593,s75 to SIS
24o.72s reported for the state. On
this showing it viii appear that San
francisco carries more than third
OF the insurance burden OF the entire
state The total premiums Of San
Francisco for 1907 on this basis OF
computation will amount at least to
t5.75o.o0o. and probably more. This IS
g low estimate, and IS therefore. fair
TO underwriters when the large dues-
tion concerning the reasona bleness
and expediency OF existing insurance
rates IN San Francisco and California
are brought into consideration.
Since the first forecast was made
by The Call. many companies that
had not then made a showing Of their
premiums for 1907 have. come TO the
ut with reports. Under. the amend
sent TO the California law; adopted to
I'D hardship TO the insurance COM
1anies. underwriters are not required
70 file reports until the first day OF
March instead Of the former fxed date
OF February / Of each year. A large
number OF corporations have not
availed themselves Of the full time
limit. Some Of those that have not re-
ported 10 the insurance. commissioner
have taken other means 20 have the
facts made public. In many instances
they have furnished their figures to
the representatives OF the local Jour
nails devoted exclusively to the pubn-
cation OF insurance news; and. that
cannot be accused. or being hostile TO
the corporations from which they de-
Tixe their income. The figures con-
fained in this article. are gathered
from the insurance commissioners re-
ports. and also from advance sheets
given out by the insurance journals to
the general agencies and other insur-
snce patrons Thus they are Of un-
questioned accuracy.
ASTONISHING SHOWING
-: Combining. the returns the aston
fishing showing is made that as re-
iates to. business in the state, the pre-
-lniuIns. received IN. 1907, as compared
TO the total losses paid during the
year amounted to practically five
times the total incurred loss. Here are
the significant figures in this regard
for the state:
Amount written, $TI7, e1z. T61; premiums, $15,
e7s ESQ; losses incurred. $s.2Te.s1T.
The total losses paid amounted to
rfs76e,729, OF which about $500, 600 had
been incurred prior to 1907, but were not
,psid until last year. Counting the en-
tire loss, payments IN the ratio Of losses
10 premiums was but Se.7 per cent
Using the losses incurred solely in 1907
bes the basis Of estimating the ratio to
the premiums received IN 1907. the
sshowing is the remarkably low one Of
SOS per cent which comedies with the
rough estimate OF ave times as much
money received IN premiums as was
paid out in 1907 losses In the state.
Another striking fact obtrudes itself
1cDC0 one VINO 6LuQloE the QlCn
lsa that tho premiums paid by San Fran
cisco alone last year amounted to
more than $1,000, 900 less than the losses
incurred by the Insurance companies on
the entire Pacific coast. This 10 made
plain thus;
San Francisco premiums paid. with nine com
psniss missing, S. 5s5 <7s; coast Losses Incurred
&c. .ee2. .se1.
PAY FTvE-SIxTH4
II may please San Franciscans TO
know that they alone paid in 1907 q
sum equivalent TO hve-sixths OF the en-
tire losses incurred In the year on the
Pacific coast by the fire underwriters.
There are many who may not be
pleased. There still is another way Of
pointing out the Significance Of the re-
turns that have been received to date,
which Is as follows:
california losses Incurred in 1907 g; 27e, 81;
coast losses incurred IN 1907. SO 692 SOL; Cali
niums In 1907 s2eOzs. .sso.
That Is, IN brief. summarized IN this
way: The coast losses incurred last
year were s3.413.044 greater than those
incurred IN this state. The California
premiums paid were more than 81 per
cent OF all premiums paid on the entire
Pacific coast. The companies wrote
e617,712.S52 less business for this state
fnr Tvr