The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-04-06
MANNING TO TAKE HAND.
Will Use Every Effort to Clear Up
Insurance MIDDLE.

fail in his efforts to secure the insur-
ance necessary on cotton stored in
State warehouses, said Governor
Manning today in a statement On the
insurance situation.
The governor a few days ago re-
ceived a letter from the Hon. John l..
McLaurin, State warehouse commits
sioner, advising him that the ''insur-
ance on State cotton is intact, but
I do not know how long it may re-
main So" Commissioner McLaurin
urged the governor to call special
session of the legislature to provide
relief in the present emergency.
The governors statement follows:
The Governors Statement.
Before and after signing the
Laney-Odom bill had the assurance
from the State insurance commission
er, Mr.. McAIaster, that he could Sc
cure all the insurance that was neces
sary for the protection of the peoples
property in South Carolina. l see in
the afternoons paper an article ap-
pearing over Mr.. McMaster's sigma
ture, in which he says in reference to
the Laney-Odom act:
Therefore, unless the law is re-
pealed South Carolina must take care
of herself, with the aid of the insur-
ance organizations now doing busi-
ness here. In my opinion, these Or
ganizations will scarcely be able to
take care of the best insurance risks
which are protected by municipal
waterwOrks! Property not so protect
ell must be insured otherwise, and |
see no chance for this except in mu-
tual companies. Every thinking in
dividual knows that each class Of
property must or should pay its own
fire losses, whether the insurance be
in a stock company or in mutual.
There is no prospect of organizing
many stock companies
$50 that Mr.. McNaster admits his
failure to secure necessary insur-
ance to protect the property of the
people of South Carolina.
From Warehouse Commissioner.
''In addition to this, the State
warehouse commissioner, the Hon.
John L. McLaurin, had been assured
that the insurance situation could be
taken care of, with especial reference
to the insurance on cotton stored in
State warehouses, the warehouse
commissioner advising that, in his
Judgment, the State warehouse sys
tenn was amply able to take care of
all the cotton stored in the State, and
keep it insured in high-class COM
panies.
"Warehouse Commissioner McLau-
rim, in his letter to me, dated March
80, makes the following statement:
81 was assured most confidently
from thoroughly reliable sources that
any insurance in South Carolina
which was cancelled could be placed
in New York, but the power of these
big companies has been too great for
the smaller companies to Withstand.
There are many good men in the in
surance business, but these large
companies dominate the situation,
and are whipping everybody into
line
''He also makes the following
statement:
individual Power!ess.'
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 no help.
This shows that most serious
situation now confronts the people OF
the State. The insurance commits
sioner has failed in his expectations
to provide relief. The warehouse
commissioner is about to fail in his
efforts to secure the insurance neces-
sary on the cotton stored in the State
warehouses.
These conditions make in incum-
bent on me as governor to act, and |
shall without delay use every effort
officially and personally to remedy
the situation, with due regard to the
sovereignty Of the State and the in
terest of all it's people,
Gedd1e Spri'g!