The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-18
INSURANCE MEN
 IN BUSY SESSIONS Want Office of Alabama Fire
 Marshal Created GARAGES ARE CONDEMNED Today's Sessions Will Be Held at East Lake and Lunch Will
 Be Served at the
 Pavilion.
GARAGES ARE CONDEMNED

The thirteenth annual session of the Alabama Fire Underwriters began yes- terday morning at the city hall with Pres- ident Ed s. Moore of Birmingham in the chair. Over 100 of the active fire insur- ance men of the state are in attend- ance.
 Three extremely interesting meetings were held yesterday and when the ad- journment for the day was reached. movement had been started which will probably result in a fire marshal for Ala bama. a much stricter inspection of fires and a consequent reduction in the fire losses
 The convention is entirely educational. A feature of the meeting last night was the address of A. M. schoen, chief en- gineer of the electrical and engineering department of the Southeastern Under writer's association. He declared that the garages should be busted from the cities, and forced to locate outside the city limits. and that the dry cleaning establishments should be run out of ex- istence. Both are dangerous on account of gasoline used.
 The convention. petitioned the under writers association to keep a permanent inspector in Birmingham instead of send ing over special agents, so that risks and hazards may be more closely checked and safeguarded.
 A resolution was introduced which will no doubt pass unanimously, requesting the to f,,nl tt, hi ro1 1tha onrciJ- eration of a bill creating the office of fire marshal. The association also decided to start campaign for more members, as President Moore insisted there are 40a writers out of the ranks of the associa- tion.
 When the meeting was called to order Mayor Frank P. O'Brien welcomed the guests gracefully for the city and Capt. John G. Smith, the oldest fire insurance writer in Birmingham, welcomed the con- vention in the name of the local under writers.
 President Moore Speaks.
 President Moore then made his address, and in speaking of changes needed he said:
 Alabama is sadly deficient laws to correct this evil. We need these things: An insurance commissioner, detached from politics, whose sole duty it should be to supervise matters pertaining to the complex questions of insurance; a fire marshal and sufficient deputies under the authority of the commissioner, repeal of every law on the statute books which now renders it impossible to convict a known incendiary, and the enactment of such laws as would give the commissioner and fire marshal time and authority to investigate and prosecute any case Of fraud and incendiarism: adequate build ing laws. No, we will not get al lthese things in a moment, but by united ef- fort of our membership we should bring influences to bear upon the legislators that these needed reforms would result. The present situation Is ridiculous and the deputy insurance commissioner Is practically powerless to abate the crooked fires and criminal construction. The companies. as rule, are now paying ash on losses without discount, and this is being done in order to be as liberal as any other company. If all companies would avail themselves of the eo-day clause 1t would, In my opinion, result in the saving of thousands of dollars to the comnanies. and the conviction of many fire bugs.
 "No argument can be produced to show why the actual cost, per 5000 of insurance, to the companies should be
 nlx fv,t h h. ern states as in the New England states, except that the great state of Alabama is content to collect from the insurance companies nearly s2Oo0Oo in licenses and taxes and give nothing back in the way or protection for her citizens, who are really having the aforementioned S20, 900.
 "I therefore recommend that the legis- latiye committee take up this important matter and make an effort to have the governor include in his call for an extra session of the legislature the several mat ters referred to above"
 Yesterday afternoon the subject of bet ter fire marshal laws was taken up again and Frank N. Julian, the state insurance made short talk, in which he pledged his assistance in securing the needed legislation.
 Sexton's Address.
 Deputy Insurance Commissioner A. 0. Sexton made an address which was con sjdered quite able. It was technical but contained these interesting figures:
 "The figures of nearly $1,500,oo0,000 loss from the common enemy of fire in the country in the last preceding five years as the result of faulty construc- tion. carelessness and incendiarism are indeed startling. Alabama's part of the vast sum is nearly ss,25o,Oo0 for the same period.
 "Official records for the past 10 years shows that the fire loss in Ala bama to have been s1s,os5,1S6 and the destruction of uninsured property will bring the figures up to at least $20,- ooO. 900 for the same period. The loss during May, 1909, in the United States and Canada, according to the New York Journal of Commerce, was s17.- ssO. 4oO and for the same month the year preceding 1t was s15.1S1,1 ,150. For the year 1907 it was $215,Ss2,250, and in 1908 it was increased to $23s s582,250.
 .Aooord;no to reportS submitted at