Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-11-19
CLAIMS FIRE PATROL
CAN BE ESTABLISHED
UNDERWRITERS DO NOT DE-
SIRE SALVAGE CORPS
Commissioner Shows Los Angeles
Losses by Flames Small and Asks
Better Reasons for Insur-
ance Mems Refusal

Nothing daunted at the refusal of the
Pacific coast underwriters to establish
fire patrol in Los Angeles, j. C. Kolff,
member of the fire commission, yester-
day wrote a letter to the underwriters
in which he says in diplomatic Ian
guage the underwriters could establish
such a patrol il they so desired.
He points to the small fire loss in
Los Angeles and declares it could be
made still smaller If the city was pro-
vided with a fire patrol. He answers
every objection made by the underwrit-
ers. His letter says. in part:
I'm your letter addressed to the city
clerk you state That it is not within
the province of your board to act In
accordance with suggestion conveyed
by the resolution Yet you go on to say
in the next sentence the fire patrols
in San Francisco and other eastern
cities were formed long ago, and are
still maintained by the insurance COM
panies This hardly seems consistent
and looks to me as though it was with
in the province of your board, but that
the underwriters do not wish to ac-
quiesce.
you also state The committee re,
grets want of sufficient information on
this subject should have led our as-
teemed fellow citizens to expectations
which the underwriters cannot but dis
appoint
you make no comments whatever on
the report of Chief Lips, who makes
his recommendations after a trip
throughout the east. The arguments
offered by the chief / would consider
as entirely sufficient information.
Reduction in Fire Losses
"The fire losses of Los Angeles dur
ing the past year amount to less than
$500, 900, where previously they have
been as much as 100000 and 100000,
while the insurance losses will possibly
exceed approximately one-half of this
amount, allowing the insurance COM
panies a clear gain of about $1,500,0O0
for this year on Los Angeles risks.
Again the insurance companies do
ing business in this state are not sub
tect to the payment of certain per-
centage of their gross revenue for the
Firemens Relief and Pension fund,
which some Of the eastern states exact.
Il believe you have also received
communications from the chamber of
commerce, the Merchants and Manu-
faeturers association and the Municipal
league indorsing our request, and we
ask for further consideration of the
same by the board of fire underwriters
giving clear and substantial arguments
against acceding to a fair and reason
able proposition or that the lowering
of insurance rates be favorably con-
sidered.
"As far as giving protection to nom
premium payers your salvage crop
might easily keep track of such busi-
ness houses as are premium payers and
fail to render service to others.
DISCRIMINATION by insurance COM
panies against our city which is known
as one of the best and safest insurance
towns in the country should not be con-
ducive to additional insurance bust
ness, especially in view of the fact
we are purchasing additional appara-
tus all the time, and will provide inn
provements as the money is available"