The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-04-07
The State.


The insurance Commissioner mas
failed in his expectations to provide
relief; the warehouse commissioner is
about to fail in his efforts to secure
the insurance necessary on cotton
stored in State warehouses. said
Gov. Manning Yesterday in a state
ment on the insurance situation The
governor few days ago received a
letter from JOAN l.. McLaurin, State
warehouse commissioner, advising
him that the insurance On State cot
ton is intact. but l do not know how
long it may remain so. Commission
er McLaurin urged the governor to
call q. special session of the legisla-
ture to provide relief in the present
emergency.
q shall without delay use every ef-
fort officially and personally to rem
edy the SITUATION said Gov. Man
nirg.
The governors statement in full
follows:
Before and after signing the La
ney-Odom bill, had the assurance
from the State insurance commission
er Mr.. McMaster, that he could Sc
cure all the insurance. that was nee
essary for the protection of the peo-
ple's property in South Carolina.
81 see in this afternoons paper an
article appearing over Mr., McMaster,S 5
signature, in which he says, in refer
ence to the Laaey-Odom act:
~Therefore, unless the law is re-
pealed South Carolina must take
care of herself with the aid of the in
surance organizations now doing bus
mess here. In my opinion, these Or
gaDizations will scarcely be able to
take care OF the best insurable risks
which are protected by municipal wa
terworks. Proper not so protector
must be insured Otherwise, and see
no chance for this except in mutual
companies. Every thinking individual
knows that each class Of property
must or should pay It's OWE fre losses,
whether the insurance be IN a STOCK
company or in mutual. Vhere is no
prospect Of organizing many stock
companies.
$50 that Mr.. McNaster admits his
failure to secure the necessary lnsur-
ance to protect the property OF the
people of South Carolfra.
"Io addition to this, the State ware
house commissioner, Hon John L. Nc
Laurin, had been assured that the In
surance situation could be taken care
Of with especial reference to the in
surance os cotton stored In stateWare-
houses, the warehouse commissioner
advising that, in his Judgment the
State warehouse system vas amply
able to take care of all the cotton stor-
ed in the State and keep it insured IN
high elias companies,
"Warehouse Commissioner McLau-
rim in his letter to me. dated March
80 makes the following statement;
al was assured most confidently,
from thoroughly reliable sources, that
anv insurance in South Carolina
which was Cancelled could be placed in
New York. but the power of these big
comDanies has been too great for the
smaller companies to withstand,
There are many good men in the in
surance business. but these large com
panies dominate the situation, and
they have appealed to the esprit de
corns Of the insurance men generally
and are whipping everybody into line,
"Ee also makes the following state
ment:
but the individual is absolutely
powerless against these great aggre-
cations of capital and unless the
strong arm of the government is
brought to his relief see 70 help
This shows that most serious sit
pation now confronts the people of the
State. The insurance commissioner
has failed in his expectations to pro
aide relief The warehouse commits