Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-06-16
reply to a question of Capt Berkeley
J. A. Sommerville Called.

L j. \. Sommervllie Cdiied.
]. A. Sommerville, OF the Som
merville Trust Company, was the
next witness. He represents
four insurance companies, all
OF which are association compan-
lies. lie received the pink slip" from
the association and put the ten per
cent increase into effect. lie writes
at the rates promulgated by the as.
isociation.
Cross-examined by Mr.. Bachelor,
Mr.. Sommerville said he once repre-
scented a mutual fire insurance com
pany of Loudon county and he wrote
/ Tor this company at rates fixed by
the association. He did not think
| Il was a member OF the association.
X. w. Reynolds was recalled by
Mr.. Lett and questioned about rates
in the rate schedule put in evidence
Tuesday by Mr.. Reynolds. The wit
ness explained that several years ago
the association put on an increase OF
twenty-five percent because of the
Baltimore fire. In some instances the
twenty-five percent was not applied.
No increase was shown in the slip
received by Mr.. Reynolds relating TO
the property of the Citizen Railway
Light & Power Company. The spe-
cial increase, the witness said. APP
piled only TO specially hazardous
risks.
| More About "Fertilizin1.'
| State Senator Saxon w. Holt. of
| this city, was called. He has been
a member of the senate since 1906.
He recalled Judge Williams bill TO
reenact the Wharton law. Senator
Holt was chairman of the senate COM
mittee on banking and insurance and
when his committee took up the bill II
was discovered that in some way
several sheets of the fertilizer bill had
| gotten mixed" in the insurance bill.
| This measure was certified to the
| senate as true copy of the bill as
passed by the house and that as il
| was only few days before the legis-
lature adjourned it was too late to
| send the bill back TO the house to have
| it fixed up.
Senator Holt said that number of
| insurance men appeared before his
| committee in opposition to the bill.
Attorney Randolph Harrison. of
Lynchburg and Ex-Speaker Caldwell.
of the house. spoke against the bill
| before the committee.
Letters From Insurance Agents.
Senator Holt was not cross-examin-
ed by counsel for the defense and
court adjourned until 2:30 o'clock. AS
Senator Holt was leaving the court
room he was recalled by counsel for
| both sides. Replying to Captain Berke-
| ley, Senator Holt said that he re-
| oeived several letters from insurance
men who wanted the Wharton law re-
tenacted. These men asked him not
ITO use their names as they feared
| that their business might be broken
Iup.
| Mr.. Bachelor asked the senator if
he did not know that besides pre-
venting the combination of insurance
companies to fix rates, the bill pre-
vented the companies from agreeing
on set commissions to agents and
Senator Holt said that he did not.
Senator Holt said he received several
letters from the Newport News
agents, but he would not like to swear
which ones he received the letters
from.
Senator Holt said that in 1910 he
and Judge Williams felt sure that il
would be useless to attempt to get
| he Williams bill through the senate
as there had been no change in the
sentiment of the senate on the bill
The measure could not have passed
the senate in 1906, the witness said
| Senator Holt was excused and court
adjourned for lunch at 1 o'clock.
Malvern Weaver Called.
\ Malvern Weaver, of Weaver Broth
ers' lumber mills, was called to the
stand when the afternoon session
opened. He told of Improvements
made to his plant whereby there was
. reduction of the insurance rates. He
Explained some of the Improvements
made.
On cross-examination. Mr.. Weaver
said that a representative of the as
ISOLATION came to his plant and sug-
gested the changes to be made in
order to get a reduction OF the rates
City Electrician F. o. Goodwin was
called He accompanied Electrical
Engineer Robertson. of the Southeast
ern Underwriters Association, on the
tour of inspection of the city recently
10 inspect the electrical wiring in
buildings. The association engineer
found some defects and the witness
found some. Mr.. Goodwin said that
none of the electrical appliances con-
demned by the association engineer
was listed in the associations list of
electrical manufacturers. Witness
said that IL he should find an cleo
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