Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-06-14
Chief IDENTIFIES
THE INSURANCE men
Continued From Page Two)


ween Captain Berkeley and Dan Har.
ris. MIR. Read objected TO the testi-
tmony and Captain Berkeley said that
he wanted to prove that the men
named in the warrant are members OF
the association and Justice Brown
overruled the objection.
Chief Reynolds told what transpir'
ed at Hot Springs. He said that he
and Captain Berkeley went to Hot
Springs with warrants for the officers
of the association. They saw MIR.
Harris and told him that they wanted
the names of officers and at first Mr..
Harris declined to give the names.
| After comforting with other officers OF
the association, Mr.. Harris finally
agreed to deliver the men before
| Magistrate McClintish at 2 o'clock at
the Virginia Hotel. Some OF the
members of the executive committee
did not show up, but were later Sc
cured and all were bailed by the mag
istrate for their appearance here.
| Heard Names Dictated.
| The chief was present when Mr..
| Harris dictated 10 Captain Berkeley
the names of the officers of the as
ISOLATION In the chiefs presence and
the chief saw Captain Berkeley write
the names in the warrant as they
were dictated. The chief identified
all of the insurance men present as
the men who delivered themselves to
the magistrate at Hot Springs.
Cross-examiHed by Mr.. Read, Chief
Reynolds said that some of the names
in the warrant were typewriter when
the warrant was written before he
went to Hot Springs. He could not
say that the men whose names were
! typewriter were named by Mr.. Har-
ris as members of the association.
C. D. West.
Caleb ID. West, OF the firm of Bar
| ret e. West, real estate and insurance
agent and member of the city coun
| Gil, testified that eight fire insurance
! companies are represented in his of
| flee and that all except two OF the
| eight are reputed to be members of
| the Southeastern Underwriters AS
sociations. His firm uses the rates
of the underwriters association The
witness identified the pink Slip" and
said that this slip making an increase
of ten per cent. in rates for Newport
News, effective at noon May II, was
received at 11:15 a. m. on May IL
He told of the adoption of the new
city license tax ordinance. saying tina.
no insurance agents appeared before
the finance committee, of which the
witness is chairman, but two members
OF the committee who participated in
consideration of tho ordinance arc in
surance agents. When the council
considered the ordinance two insur-
ance agents, w. f. Cottrell and Sol
| Miller spoke against the measure
Captain Berkeley asked whether or
not these agents warned the council
that il the license tax was raised the
insurance rates would be increased.
! Mr.. Read objected strenuously 10
| this question on the ground that the
agents were not authorized to speak
| for the defendants. After consider
able argument this line OF testimony |
was ruled out, the court sustaining |
Mr.. Reads contention that the COM
monwealth had not shown that these
agents represented anybody bit them |
selves
! Mr.. West said that A. H. Harris. |
: secretary of the Virginia committee of |
the underwriters association, came |
down from Richmond after the adop- |
ton of the license tax ordinance. and
! conferred with Messrs. West and |
Ford, who advocated the enacmenti
of the measure in their respective
4 branches of the city council. The
witness and Mr.. Ford told Mr.. lar
ris that they hoped the community
would not be penalized on accoun of |
the new license tax rates, which dr.
! Harris regarded as excessive. Tlsyi
1 acC.frad Mr. I-rric thar tl-
creased license tax worked a hardshp |
made next year.
Better Pay From "Non-bssrds"
4 Witness said that sever,l year,l
Ego the special agent of ore of the
companies he represented old himi
that his company did not care to as
sociate in an Office with otter COM
panies that pay more that Is per
i cent. commissions. and as a result |
for two years his firm did not accept |
; commissions Of more than Is perl
J cent Later he released himself
from the agreement and sire that
had been taking such prenums "a
he could get. There are NV two
' companies in his Office wlch pay
more than Is per cent commission.
When asked the names of he com
=, 2anies. Mr. West objected t1answer-
ms He said. however. that there
was ANY question Of going D Jail"
he would answer. Captain hrkeIey
pressed the question only as 10
whether or not the COMMUNICATING
more than l. per cent are u two
mon board" companies. Fitness
said they are the two mon board
companies. and that one payssraded
commissions. ranging from Ito q
per cent. while the other p,s Is
;; per cent. fiat and a perceDtaSnf the
net profits on business done. Io OBJ