Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-24
BOILER INSURANCE
SCANDAL PROMPTS
RIGID INVESTIGATION
Chamber of Commerce Will
Probe Charges of Rate Dis
elimination Against
Philadelphia
COYLE ALLEGES PROOFS

/ The Chamber OF Commerce will nvesti.
gate the charges of Robert NJ Coyle, i23
/ Walnut street an insurance broker that
/ the act of May II, 1891, covering insur-
/ ance in cities Of the first class. makes pos
I sble drastic discrimination against Phil
/ adelphia In the matter of boiler insurance
rates
{ Edwin l.. Atlec. of the insurance Com.
mittce of the chamber Of Commerce. said
! that II the accusations made by Mr Goyle
are found to he correct, the Chamber OF
/ Commerce will work to have the law
I amended.
AS an Illustration OF the alleged dis.
! elimination" said Mr., Atlee today ~ note
| that Mr.. Cuylc Cumpares the rate charged
for battery Of eight boilers in New York
with the rate for similar battery of eight
boilers in Philadelphia. philadelphia he
states, is required to pay premium OF
SS35 for a three.year boiler policy, while
the battery of eight boilers In New York,
of about the same CRATE surface pays for
the same amount OF insurance, and for the
same period, $2bS.
"Of course there are two sides to this
question and u lot Of things to bc con-
sidered IA to the kind Of boilers and the
conditions under which they are operated
/ But If the facts as presented by Mr.. Coylc
are correct then the discrimination
against Philadelphia is very great and the
law Is an obnoxious one. If the law was
framed to fatten the treasures of the in
surance companies. or for any other rea-
sons not compatible with the public inter
ests. then It is the duty Of the Chamber
of Commerce to get busy and work for an
amendment. Certainly manufacturers and
other business men of Philadelphia are in
terested in obtaining reasonable boiler in
surRnCe rates.
Mr.. Coyle outlined his complaint
against the act of May II, 1891, in letter
to the Chamber of Commerce.
Howard b. French. president of the
chamber, said today:
Just as soon as Mr.. Coyle's letter is
brought officially before the Chamber we
will turn 1t over to the proper committee,
with instructions that the matter be in
vestigated."
In another statement issued today Mr.
Coyle said he had been reliably informed
that the act of May /, 1891, was uncon-
stitutional.
~ have heard frequent complaint" he
said. that the State-madC rates for
women's compensation were too high, but
these rates are nothing in comparison
with the high cost OF boiler insurance.
This high cost is made possible by reason
of a law approved on May II, 1891. by
Governor Pattison.
at seems strange to me that nobody
has ever attacked this law, for ] have
been told by good authorities that 1t was
not Only NulHeIuDle' puI tllpBelHtT uuCOu-
stitutional,
1T cannot be disputed that boiler insur-
anCe costs more in Philadelphia than In
New York. This is so because the act of
May IL, 1891. requires that the insurance
companies shall charge premium at least
so per cent. of the charges made by the
boiler inspection bureau, which inspection
fees are in themselves high and do not
seem to be limited in the act"
Mr. Coyle said he was certain that the
act of May /, 1891, was passed to create
political Jobs for party henchmen. This
was denied today by John NJ, Lukens.
chief of the Bureau of Boiler Inspection,
at city Hall.
Before the law was passed" said Lu-
kens, "the city made all of the inspections
Of boilers. Now the city boiler inspectors
accept the certificates of the insurance
companies in lieu of their own inspections
II can be readily seen that II the city made
all the Inspections. as formerly. there
would be more jobs to parcel out than
under the present conditions imposed by
the law"