The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-01-04
CORPORATION INSUR-
ANCE IN WATERFOWL
OUT OF SEVEN UTILITIES COMPA-
MES ONLY ONE DEALS WITH
LOCAL AGENTS.
A Peculiar Condition Which Ofhclais
Practice, Taking Business
To Large Cities.

The Leader, desirous of giving its
readers a fire insurance story, inter
viewed managers Of the various pub
lie utilities companies operating IN
Watertown, and asked the same ques-
ton. "How much fire insurance does
your company carry through Water
town insurance agencies? AND the
answers were:
Wisconsin Telephone Co.-none.
Chicago. Milwaukee & st. Paul Rail
way Co.-none.
Chicago & North Western Railway
Co.-none
American Express Co.-none.
Wells-Fargo Express Co.-none.
Wisconsin Gas and Electric Co.
s27 900 all of our property in Water
town
A further question, Where is your
insurance placed?" elected the sur
prising answers:
Wisconsin Telephone Co.-Milwau-
kee.
Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul Raii-
way Co.-Chicago.
Chicago & North Western Railway
Co.-Chicago
Western Union Telegraph Co.-Min-
neapolis.
American Express Co-Milwaukee.
Wells-Fargo Express Co.-Milwau-
kee.
wisconsin Gas and Electric Co.
Watertown.
The question was also asked in each
instance: How much insurable
nroperty has your company in Water
town." And the invariable answer
was II don't know" excepting IN the
case of A. G. Babson, general man
ager of the Electric company, VINO
knew and told.
An interview with the representa-
tive of a fire insurance company
brought out the positive statement
that there was no excuse 1or this
state of affairs, as the city is Wen
provided with agencies and the utility
interests could not overload them win
applications in addition to the busl-
ness already carried by them.
The public utilities officials usu-
ally meet all arguments when talked
to on subjects of this nature with
statement that they are leglslated ana
commission regulated almost TO the
point of bankruptcy, and we all KNOW
that through the schemes or amDltl-
ous politicians their plants are not
without a just foundation, and 1t Is
also known that as taxpayers they
stand high on the list OF large contrlp-
utors: but another view or the SUD
iect is that the money they get TO
pay taxes with in Watertown Is from
Watertown patronage, and water
town certainly pays each and every
one of these companies profit
In view of these facts, and In view
of the fact that fire insurance agen-
cies can handle the business as cheap
ly as the larger city agencies, 1t would
appear that to leave this business
among our citizens would be no more
than lust. and would be one more
GRADE at home" demonstration.
On the other hand, the Wisconsin
Gas and Electric company leaves It's
business in the city, which mcluoes
$500 on buildings, $4,000 on gas
making apparatus, $4,000 on tools
materials, ETC., which also mcluoes
the office furniture in the main once
at 2O5 Main street, and $S,4OO on sub
stations. The premiums on this $751;
500 insurance placed among the wa
tertown agencies is policy with the
officers of the company, and the prop
erty in Racine, Kenosha, Burlington
East Troy and other points is carried
bv agents in those various localities,
and that is right. On the other hand
Milwaukee gets only that portion OF
the insurable property within that
eity-which is also proper.
After all is said and done the local
agents have cause to complain, and
iustly. about the treatment accorded
them bv the utilities companies oper-
ating in Watertown, the Wisconsin
Gas and Electric company excepted