The Washington herald., 1911-05-15
WOULD REVISE
INSURANCE RATES
Kansas Member Plans Probe
of District Companies.
ASKS DATA OF FIRE LOSS
The Relation of Fires to the
Amount which IL Asked as Pre-
miums Is a Subject Which Rep
resentative jackson Thinks Should
BE Investigated Thoroughly.

Representative Jackson, of Kansas, has
taken under advisement the matter OF in
Producing a bill requiring fire insurance
companies in the District of Columbia to
submit to a proper supervision Of their
rates and to produce data concerning fire
losses in the District which will enable
a uniform and equitable system Of deal
ing with their patrons to be installed
Preliminary tc such action, Representa-
tive Jackson hopes to secure the passage
of a resolution he introduced last week
which provides for a complete inquiry
by the President into all available facts
bearing upon the loss Of life and property
by fire, and upon the means of prevent
ing such loss in the future. He points
out that many Of the States have as
sumed control Of the fire insurance COM
panies and have established a uniform
system Of rates. To enable them to es-
tablish proper classif1cations and reason
able fire insurance rates, he proposes that
countrywide data shall be gathered. In
suggests that the District Of Columbia be
placed in line with the general move
ment.
In his resolution calling for an inquiry,
Representative Jackson asserts that the
determination of reasonable fire insurance
rates for any State requires a considera-
ton Of the facts and history Of fire losses
in all the States.
such work. says Mr.. Jackson, will
be greatly facilitated and made more
perfect by a central bureau of research.
which must of necessity be conducted by
the Federal government. Several States.
In their efforts to deal with these prob
lems are meeting with many obstacles.
ir that there Is no central source Of in
formation from which facts concerning
the causes, number, and history Of fires
can be obtained, tabulated. and analyzed,
manifest the reasonableness Of fire in
surance rates made manifest. To meet
this condition, propose that the Presi-
dent shall be directed to employ suitable
experts and assistants and to cause an
exhaustive inquiry to be made into all
available facts bearing upon life and
property losses caused by fire."
An Analysts of the Facts.
The resolution directs the President to
invite the cooperation Of the States in
the investigation by ordering the ac-
emulation Of such reports Of the cur
rent experience of fire Insurance COM
panies as the experts employed may find
necessary in the work to be accomplished
The analysis Of such facts, It Is con-
tended. will aid the States. and the Dis
trict Of Columbia eventually, in making
manifest the reasonableness Of fire In
surance rates and the efforts to restrict
IRE waste.
It is proposed that the experts selected
by the President shall report at the end
Of two years what progress they ara
making and what steps may be taken to
establish a permanent bureau dealing
with the problems Of fire waste and the
proper measurement of fire hazard for
the establishment Of IRE insurance rates.
The sum Of $zsa0oo u appropriated to de-
|fsay III expsosee of the tnvsstisa&ion.