The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-09-21
FIRE INSURANCE
men IN SESSION
EXAMINING RISKS AND HOLDING
MEETING FOR EDUCATION
or PUBLIC.

jamestown, NJ ID. Sept. 21.--A
meeting OF the fire insurance inspec-
tors, some fifteen in number. was held
in this city yesterday. At the even
Ing meeting. b. II. Perry. OF the
general inspection Office Of Minnea-
polls, explained the work Of in
spection. the method Of rating the
methods Of fire prevention and point
out certain plan by which fire in
surance rates can be reduced in
North Dakota. State Insurance Com
missioner Taylor was present at the
meeting, also former Insurance Com
missioner Cooper and o. M. Thurber
Of Fargo.
Many owners Of property who
have been compelled for many years
In Jamestown and other towns Of
the state to pay high rates of in
surance have rebelled against the
evident unfairness in the wide diff
ference in rates, not only In the same
town, on the same street, and in
the same block. but In other towns.
The matter of rates Is an arbitrary
one wholly in control of the insur-
ance companies, The unfairness of
well protected, substantially built
town. being obliged to pay in rates
Of insurance Tor the greater hazards
OF other towns has always appealed
TO every insurer, but no remedy so
far In this state has yet appeared.
The insurance companies who have
representatives here claim that fire
insurance TislKs in this state can be
greatly reduced and a more equitable
rating obtained is certain reforms in
our state insurance laws are put into
effect The chief Of these is what is
known as the state fire marshal law,
which authorizes a competent man to
inspect and report upon the origin
of fires, not only of fires whose origin
Is suspected to be incendiary, but all
fires.
II will be news to many North Da-
kota property owners to know that
the insurance rates in South Dakota
and Minnesota are much less than
| In North Dakota. In fact the insur-
ance rates in North Dakota are from
two to three times as high as in
South Dakota and Minnesota on all
classes Of insurance. mercantile risks
as well as farm risks The fire
waste from carelessness, Ignorance
and probable incendiarism in North
Dakota is said to be extremely heavy.
South Dakota. about five years ago,
began reform In her insurance
laws; a fire marshal and building in
spection law and the same has been
well enforced. The result is that
where fire insurance rates were form
erly as high as in North Dakota,
they have been rapidly reduced until
the South Dakota rates are now
even less than the Minnesota rates.
The law sustains and backs up the
fire marshal and building inspector.
The rates In Minnesota are also be-
ing reduced on account OF a more
complete and thorough fir marshal
law, and the losses and rates are de-
creasing In consequences. In Ohio
the annual fire loss In the last three
years has been reduced according to
insurance statistics from $4,000, 900
| TO s7,000,000s owing largely to the
workings of different laws. Laws of
this kind have great effect In REM
edying the injustice of forcing good
risks TO pay for the poor ones, in the
matter OF rates In South Dakota the
FIRE marshal has convicted seventeen
men Of incendiarism and they are now
serving their terms in the peniten-
tiary.
At the last session OF the North
Dakota legislature state fire mar
shall bin was introduced. and was
strongly advocated, but for some rea-
son failed Of passage. The efforts
OF the insurance men In this state are
being directed along the lines Of
creating q sufficient public opinion
to pass a similar law to that OF
South Dakota under which insur-
ance rates in that state have been
greatly reduced In the last five years