The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1909-08-07

ced to obey these rates, regardless /
OF their personal opinions as to
whether such rates are just and
equitable Coins At detail into the
subject Mr. Allen says:
Formerly these rates were prom
aleated by an illegal body known as
the Southeastern Tariff Association,
until they were indicted and con-
fronted with the penitentiary for
violation of the antitrust laws OF
the state in fixing and maintaining
rates. They then got peuitent and
promised TO abide by the laws OF
the state, and dissolve the illegal
Tariff Association. if permitted to
do business in the state. The state
only wanted them TO obey the law,
and let them off on their promise to
be good They have failed TO keep
their promise, while they have not
operated under the Tariff Associa-
ton by name. but have resorted to
other schemes and methods to ac-
+ complish the same illegal purpose.
"One scheme was to have rates
sent anonymously 10 agents, and
while the agents did not know from
whom they came, they knew they
had to write insurance by said rates.
This was such patent evidence OF
combination to fix and maintain
rates, the very thing the law CON
demned, that fell on the scheme now
being worked, that an organization
of corporation TO make and sell
rates to the insurance companies
/ known as the Mississippi Inspection
and Advisory Rating Company
Under ina scheme the higher this
rating company makes the rates the
more it gets for same. and the rates
furnished insurance agents all over
the state today are made in this
way. 1t is beautiful system for
insurance companies, but a hard
one for the people who feel they
must carry insurance.
The insurance companies in this
state are divided into two classes,
the Board Companies and the non
Board Companies or the Regulars
and Independents. The Board
Companies or Regulars are those
who insist on maintaining the rates
fixed by the rating company, and it
would be Il perfect system for them
but for the non-Board or Independ-
ent companies. who will not stand
in alt cases for the rates so fixed
by the rating company, and when
they fud risk that suits them. or
town well protected by a good
system Of water works, they re
serve the right to take such risk at
what they think IS profitable rate
/ regardless of the rates promulgated
by the rating company This is
what is making the trouble, these
independents are a thorn in the side
Of. the combine and they have gone
to work to drive them out Of the
State and destroy the competition
which the laws Of the State entitle
our people to.
THE plan adopted IS to force the
local agencies to cease to write
insurance for the non-Board or In
dependent companies, and then de
stroy the confidence Of the public
in the said independent or non
) Board companies, so that If they
get other agents the people will be
afraid Of them,
AS proof, a great number of field
men OF the combine or trust swoop-
ed down on Tupe1o about the mid
die OF June and brought such pres
sure to bear on local agencies has
made them cut out the independent
) or non-Board companies or such or
them as they thought they could
drive out
Il happened to know in the targ-
{ est agency in this town the agent
was very much opposed to being
= coerced into this movement and re
sisted It for sometime. but they
came so strong that he reluctantly
: yielded to their demands. I am
sorry he did and think he made a
| great mistake
"The non-BOard companies then
established another agency to write
their policies. they have put down
the rate very much The scheme
e resorted to to meet this is now be
: ing persistently worked to destroy
f confidence in the non-Board com
panies,
? These same non-Board compan-
/ ;as were Good enough to write orr
81 policies in before the combine
: swooped down on Tupelo. =
l Take my own case The same
i local agency has always written my
: policies. I have never examined or
asked what companies they were in.
l have always been assured by the
agency that I was being we'll taken
care Of. / find now, that some Of
my policies were in the very COM
panies that the agency was forced
by the combine to abandon and that