The San Francisco call., 1910-02-26
INSURANCE RATE
CUT IS PROBABLE
Property Owners Learn From
Reliable Sources That Pre-
miums Will Be Lowered

There would seem TO be an excel
lent chance that fire insurance COM
panies included in the Pacific board of
IRE underwriters viii voluntarily re-
duce insurance rates in the next few
months in the residential portions OF
the city Such a move is under dis
cussion. The matter has been talked
over and on excellent authority it is
said there is general consensus of
opinion among the underwriters that
the rates in the Richmond district espe-
cially and in some other parts of the
city are too high under the present
conditions.
Owners Of properties upon which the
risks run out early this year have
been advised in some instances by those
who know what is going on that the
rates probably viii be reduced.
The extent Of the probable reduction
is not made public The purpose of the
board companies may be TO prevent the
transfer Of risks 70 nOnboard COM
psnies Thousands of property owners
arc interested in this information.
Rents have fallen. but insurance keeps
up. and this is q material considera-
tion when building is suggested and the
net profits are figured out before a
decision to build can be reached.
BUSINESS HOUSES INTERESTED
Business houses in the district west
Of Van Ness avenue are also greatly
interested in common with the business
houses in the downtown districts. Ger
tain businessmen have combined TO
take up the insurance matter with the
underwriters An oldtime business
house in Fillmore street is about to
retire from business because the in
surance runs up to several hundreds OF
dollars 2 month and the field of trade
has been cGrtailei by the houses doing
a similar business in the newer parts OF
FILLMORE street south of Sutter. The
owners Of property that has been rent
ed for store use, in view of quite a
large number Of vacant stores from
which tenants have moved out are
NitaiIy concerned in the fire insurance
rates. Several organizations of fire in
sursnc rate payers have formed COM
mittees 70 take the matter up. They
may act in unity later.
The city is continually strengthening
its lire Of defense against fire and the
cieterns. the Twin peaks and other res
crvoirs for distribution Of water, the
ncw dreboats and the arrangements
that have been made for pumping sta
lions constitute provisions that have a
decided bearing on actual risks from
FIRE
NEW FIRE ALARM BOXES
Z Additional FIRE alarm boxes are be-
ing installed Requests have been made
for boxes at Cortland avenue and Mis-
al nd
8ioultrie street; at Mission and Norton
streets. and at Persia avenue and Ath-
rus street. The IRE commissioners
have asked the board of public works
20 pave the center of Devisadero street
between Waller and Lloyd and Broder-
ick street between Sacramento and
Washington with basalt blocks to en-
able the fire department horses to
travel up the grades.
The progress OF the buildings con-
nected with-she fire department is con-
stant. The corporation yard at Fran
cisco and Stockton streets is practically
finished. - contract viii be ava arded
soon for the corporation yards stables.
The new engine house No. Al. at Leav-
enworth and Clay streets has been
completed and was occupied early this
month EXcavating has been completed
for the new fire truck house in Dun
rion and retaining walls have been
completed and the brickwork is also
finished and repairs 10 the old build
ing have been practically completed.
Battery station at Seventeenth street.
No 8, * ready 70 use. Chemical engine
house No. -. at For1y-fi avenue and
street is partly constructed. The ex-
cavation has been completed and the
material has been hauled to the site.
Contracts have been completed for
the construction Of fire cisterns
1T Battery and Bush. at Mission and
West Mission. in Market street oppo-
site Van Ness avenue. a Twentieth
and Connecticut. Townsend and Eighth
Fifteenth and Kansas. Precita avenue
and Alabama. Webster and Vallejo.
I.aguna. and Fulton. Buchanan and
California. Greenwich and Webster
scott and Broadway, Mariposa and Mis-
souri, Twenty-second and York
Twenty-third and Kansas Twenty fifth
aud San Bruno avenue, Twenty sixth
and Bryant, Army and Holiday ave-
nue.. Twenty-second and Pennsylvania
avenue.
TIREBoAT STATION PLANNED
Contracts are in preparation for the
construction OF a 6reboat station for
the delivery Of 10000 feet os hose.
for q pumping station at the foot of
Van Ness avenue, for the construction
OF the Ashbury street distributing res
ervoir and also the distributing reser-
voir in Clay street, for the construction
Of fresh water pumping station. for
telephone, auxiliary FIRE alarm and po-
lice systems, for hauling pipe and spe-
Gals and setting valves and hydrants
in the distributing system. etc.
Contracts have been awarded for
great quantities Of pipe. valves and
cast steel specials, for the construction
Of q pumping station at Second and
Townsend streets, for the construction
OF the great reservoir on Twin peaks
and for many other accessories. The
entire array Of new projections that
the city plans to afford is formida ble