The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-19
SEEK ALL MEANS ID
 ROAST BIRMINGHAM.
Fire Insurance Companies Not Compelled to Stay If
 They Want to Move
To the Editor of The Age-HeraId.

To the Editor of The Age-H Herald. , It is well for man to take stool
 occasionally, to examine himself tt
 look into a mirror as it were, to ascer tain if his hair is on straight, if h, presents such an appearance as will b' pleasing to those who have to look al
 him; to get new perspective, to fine out if he is living up to his opportuni ties, if he is doing his duty to his com munity 8 good citizen should, ir short to find out where he is at"
 Sometimes a man failing to cross
 examine himself occasionly, learns tc
 his modification that he is not all that he should be- and~his chagrin is great ly increased when the information is
 q friend who has his interest at heart
 and only considers his well being. 1 What is true of man is true of a
 community
 | I have for long time been under
 the impression that Birmingham was
 a mighty good town, that there were
 many good people here. some of them
 the salt of the earth. that we had fine
 churches which were well attended, splendid schools which were crowded with children eager to learn, excellent streets, beautiful parks, fine buildings,
 delicious water, good lights, a fine fire department. business men of a high | type, and d municipal government which was in the hands of or under the direction of patriotic officials.
 Believeing this. imagine my feelings when I recently saw in a paper pub | lished in New York. and which is terests and has been recognized as their | mouthpieece, an article from which I quote the following:
 i POOR OLD BIRMINGHAM" Poor old Birmingham had still an- other expensive fire Saturday. Notwith- standing the efforts of the. national
 board of fire underwriters and the criti- cisms of the Southeastern Underwriters association, Birmingham easily main tains it's conspicuous position among l the notorious drains on fire insurance capital.
 "Birimngham may become d safe place for fire insurance companies to operate when it is entirely rebuilt by
 new property owners, has a new fire department both as to equipment and men, has complete set of different insurance agents from those now there,
 and has complete set of city authori- ties who will really enforce the law.'' Wouldn't that jar you?
 Amt it awful, Mabel?
 I. Di,.t,1 1it,er r11,r, Aa1I Io1 f tl,. writer of the above makes out or is | he just suffering from a spell, or re- covering from a spree?
 l If we are only half as bad as he appears to think, we must be worse than old man Sodom and old man Go-
 morrah, about whom the country preacher told us. He Is certainly mod
 est in his suggestions, he only wants l us to get off the earth-thats all. | Let recapitulate his wishes 1 New Birmingham, new property | owners, new fire department, new peo- 1 pie, different fire insurance agents, and new city authorities" When he gets all those, then Birmingham may be a safe place for fire insurance companies
 pause to remark that those fire insur ance companies who are so fond of
 critizing Birming gham should remember a few things which I have not forgot | ten. First, there is not single fire in surance company doing business in Bir- mingham which was urged to come here by Birmingham. or even invited to do so Secondly, there is no law com polling them to remain even 30 minutes after they find it to their interest to leave. Speaking of leaving, I venture to l suggest that if they want a safe place in which to operate they might try Greenland's icy mountains, or India S coral strand, or if they don't like our waterworks and fire department they may go to where there are no water works and no Birmingham firemen. and where fire departments would do nc good anyhow.
 Notwithstanding the criticisms oi the Southeastern Underwriters asso-
 ciation.' Yes. they have criticised enough in all conscience. For about It years hot air artists from Atlanta have been coming over to Birmingham find nig fault with us and telling us what ought to be done, and the net result has been that they have not shown us how to reduce the fire waste, but have simply insisted on the city's spendini! money. After the citizens has paid the tax for improved streets improved fire department, extensions of waterworks improved equipment, this same South eastern Underwriters association has raised insurance rates by combinations until in many cases they are from Sl to 100 percent higher than they were | 10 years ago.
 II One of the absurd conditions is tha,
 a man who has house on top of Sand mountain, or on Chunnenuggee ridge
 or at Shuffle gap, where there is nt
 fire department and the nearest water
 is in the spring at the foot of the biz lpoplar at the bottom of the hill, car
 insure it at less cost than he could a house in many parts of Birmingham where we have good fire departmen and water supply.
 , The fire insurance agents of Br ? mingham don't need any defense a my hands. They are among the leading citizens of the community, many o them builders of Birmingham" mel who would ornament any calling an,
 are credit to any business, but I wil , say that from my knowledge of boti
 the local agents in Birmingham will
 not suffer by comparison with tn presidents, directors and other official of the companies they represent, am l New York, Hartford, Philadelphia ant , other eastern headquarters of some o ,t the big ones would be vastely improve , if they had more men in the insuranc business in those cities of like charac ter and ability as the insurance agent in Birmingham. Yours very truly
 | A IT