The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-07
Senator White Tells How His Rate Was Reduced When He Threat
 ened to Act
TAXES AND FIRES
 CHIEF TOPICS OF
 YESTERDAYS PROBE
McLendOn Says Real Estate of the County Is Assessed About 40 Per Cent-Would Consoli-
 date Two Offices

Capt. Frank S. White. former United States senator, advised the legislative re- cess committee on finance and taxation yesterday afternoon to "run the South eastern Tariff association out of Ala bama"
 Regarding the question of insurance, the witness was caustic, and at times almost sensational One of his unusual sugges- tions was that the state carry no insnr- ance on the property of the state, the cap itol, other public buildings. and state and normal colleges and schools. The committee in addition to Captain White examined yesterday Tax Assessor D. F. McLendons Building Inspector w. o. Matthews, Frank P. Glass, Fire Chief Middleton. and w. J. Waldrop The ma jority of the witnesses were asked re- garding taxation and routine matters re- specting their several departments. Cap tain White however, talked of many sub jects, and Mir Matthews and Chief Mid dleton were asked for detail information as to local fire losses and building opera tions.
 Tomorrow City Commissioner James Weatherly and real estate dealers will be examined. In the afternoon the commit tee will attend an outing of the Rotary club to be held at Fairfield.
 Help Make Fair Assessments
 But the 'livest'' testimony was that of fered by Senator White. He led up to his startling statement regarding the South eastern Tariff association by expressing favor of the proposed plan to force insur- 1 ance companies 10 make known the insur- ance an individual might carry on his property in order that fair assessment of that property for taxation might be acquired. Next, he suggested that Ala bama should carry no insurance OF It's | buildings, included among which are the capitol and the various structures on the l campus of the University of Alabama. And then he advised the driving from the | state of the Southeastern Tariff associa- ton on the ground of his contention that that association was unfair and entirely 1 arbitrary.
 In further explanation of his advice, l he related one of his experiences with the assocation, and gave utterance to the sensational sentence that the rate on l building of his was materially reduced when he threatened to reject the policy and carry the matter to the legislature. sThe building in question:" he said, was at the time empty Formerly, how ever, it had been used as a candy fac tory. A high rate is required for pro- l lection of candy factory. The pre-
 mium on the empty building was the same as 1t had been when the building
 was candy factory-$S. l called up the local agent of the tariff association and threatened to reject the policy because of the apparent unfairness of its exac- tions.
 Agent Very Cool r "The agent was very cool and de- manded to know if I intended to put him :, out of business He then wanted to know
 if I would give him a job. Finally he demanded to know what I intended to do
 about it, and I told him that I would | reject the policy and carry the matter to
 the legislature.
 1 Shortly thereafter the policy was changed and the premium reduced from | B to 80 cents. I declined to accept it | unless the agent agreed to assure me that no exception was being made in my
  I accepted the policy"
 ! The committee was anxious to secure | from the witness his idea of how the 1 Southeastern Tariff association could be driven from the state.
 That would be easy he said. Undo | a bit of legislation enacted four years ago. In other words, permit no com pany, a member of the association to demand proof of loss. Before the ses- sion of the legislature in 1911, the in surance companies did not have the power they now have Someone amended the code, however, and now the tariff association can be as arbitrary as it de- sires to be-
 Protect Savings Depositors Captain White, in giving other unusual testimony, declared that the constitu- ton should be so amended that no bank could withhold until after other moneys had been paid out, interest on savings &C., counts. We must encourage saving" he said "and it is obviously unfair for bank, in time of distress, to hide behind the