New-York tribune., 1920-12-12
Burglary Loss
In Insurance
ll5Per Cent
Underwriters, in Despair,
Assert Police Department
Seems to Have Collapsed
and Cannot Curb the Evil
Stolen Goods Easily Sold
Strong System Used in Dis
posal of Loot; BondLosses
for Year Called Terrific

A special article in the current issue
OF The Weekly Underwater, one Of the
foremost insurance periodicals in the
United States, is devoted to q discus
sion Of the serious proportions of the
prevalent crime wave. Under the cap
tion, Burglars Merry Christmas" the
publication says:
ut isn't going to be a very merry
Christmas for the great majority of the
burglary underwriters, while, on the
other hand, the told-up man, porch
climber and safe blower should have
stuffed stockings and wonderfully deco
rated Xmas trees. In other words, the
insurance companies have been hit
hard by the crime wave that has inun-
dated the country, and the man who
underwrites burglary risks is becoming
gray haired from the manifold worries
that are his as the result of the activi-
ties of the lawlcss element, which the
police seemingly are unable to check
Loss Ratio for Year
"Some of the companies will show
burglary loss ratio of over 100 per cent
for the year-two or three intimatcd
that their loss ratio will be at least lis
per cent-and very few underwriting
departments will show a favorable
ratio in this line. In order to show a
balance on the right side of the books
a burglary loss ratio cannot much ex-
ceed As per cent, so it is evident that
the companies stand to lose heavily on
their 1919 underwriting. One or two
companies report no great increase in
losses over a year ago, but, as one I'M
derwriter put it, those companies have
simply been lucky
New York City has been a thorn in
the side of the underwriters, and the
police department seems to have broken
down entirely in trying to cope with
the situation. Keep quiet, we'll get
this crook the detectives Of the depart
ment invariably assure the victim of
burglary. But arrests are few and
Tar between, and when suspects are
taken into custody they are generally
discharged for lack of evidence. How
ever, the great metropolis is just one
Of the many cities where burglary ex-
perience is very bad
Stolen Goods Easy to Sell
Underwriters are not given to ad-
vising the police, but they wonder why
1T Is that stolen goods are so easily
disposed Of. They are certain that
the crooks who are making the ma
jority of big hauls in the larger cities
have a system for disposing of the
goods and that the police should pos
sess skill enough to diagnose and
break up this system.
Selecting residence risks is giving
the Underwriters an opportunity to de-
termine the degree of luck they enjoy
For instance, a residence risk is Of
tered that appears to be in the pre-
ferred class. 1t is written and within
q certain period the underwriting COM
pany receives notice that the place has
been entered and property to large
amount taken. AS one prominent New
York underwater put it, We are sim
ply up in the air over existing condi-
tions and selecting risks is getting to
be just matter of luck, for what
looks like preferred business has
proven most disappointing
CAS- has been the case in the past,
iewelry. silks and furs have the
strongest attraction for those who
break and enter There is always q
market for such property and the
crooks have little trouble in dispos;ng
OF their sVac