Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-11-06
Demands Inquiry Into
Insurance Rate Raise
CONTINUED from Page One.)

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both the physical and r;oral hazard at.
tendant upon the fire insurance bust
ness. The cost Of maintaining this
department-which is O inconsid-
erable-imposes no additional bur
den Upon the fire companies with the
exception of domestic mutuals. An
increase of rates, in the face of this
additional measure of protection,
would seem to require some eXplana-
ton, t osay the least.
"An action has been commenced
in the supreme court the purpose of
which is to restrain this department
from putting into operation the state
bonding law enacted by the Thirteen
tn Legislative assembly, and during
the tendency of that action it would
be inappropriate for me to discuss the
matter. However, it should be remem-
bered that the Judgment Of the court
will probably turn, not upon the in.
trinsic merits of the act itself, but
upon it's constitutionality. Whatever
may be the outcome of this litigation,
the significant fact will remain that
the premium rates for fidelity and
surety bonds were increased several
hundred per cent, as a direct result
of which the state interviewed and
said it would undertake to bond Il
ties, towns, townships and school
districts against loss by default of
any officer.
81 a not nov and eve have been
in favor of rate-making by the state.
So far as fire insurance rates are con:
cerned, I believe the subject is en.
tirely to intricate and techinal to
warrant the state in attempting to
formulate rate schedules. Nor has
that sort Of innovation worked out
we'll in practice. But this does not
mean that the people of North Dakota
have no rights in the premises. They
have. They have a right to know
whether the rates which they are COM
PEELED to pay for fire insurance are
fair and equitable or not. If the bust
ness of insurance is of a quasi-public
nature-and it is-then the public is
entitled to at least some quasi-infor'
nation on the subjects Of rates.
Fire insurance rates in North d.
kota are determined and promulgated
by the general inspection company of
Minneapolis. But property owners in
this state do not k>ow and have no
way of knowing whether these rates
are fair and equitable, considered as
a hole or in respect to the various
c~lassifcations. The entire matter is
a closed book. The assured is sup.
posed to pay the premium, ask no
questions and look pleasant. So in
lespect to the enormous increase III
the rates charged for fidelity and sure
ty bonds-an increase which seems
to have been reached as the result of
a friendly agreement between the com
panies writing this class of business.
This sort OF thing must be justified,
or the companies may expect trouble,
:" believe in fair play and the
square deal; nor do | share in the
prejudice which is too commonly en-
tertained towards big corporations
just because they are big. But we
should have light. Let the insur-
ance companies open their books and
show cause. The people demand this"
SPLENDID APPLES.
M. S. V~andewater, in charge Of the
Jim Jan Jems otnces in this city,
has received three boxes Of apples
from his orchard lei Wenatchee,
Wash, and is "setting 'em up to his
friends. They are of the Jonathan
variety and are from tw%o-year-old
trees. the first crop. These apples,
which are what those fruit men call
commons, are excellent eating for the
man on the prairies of North Dakota.
Mr.. Vandewater says the Wenatchee
valley is the only one in Washington
this year which made a showing, COM
gin out with a good crop, while others
took about a so per cent yield. The
orchards there are yielding about n
and one-half cars to the acre. and
these are bringing from $1.4O to $3.50
per box, +. o. b. Wenatch'e. Mr.. v.
has been diligent with his orchard.
which is most promising. He has