The Washington herald., 1921-02-02
Amalgamating Insurance With
Other Business Idea of National
Chamber of Commerce Dept.

rect service to the insurance con-
stituency"-a recent example may
be cited in the insurance depart
ment's special bulletin No. l, relat-
ing to fire insurance conditions in
foreign countries. The Bureau of
Foreign and Domestic Commerce of
the United States Department OF
Commerce sent, in September, 1920.
a questionable to American Consuls
in West Indian, Central and South
American countries, requiring infor-
nation as to the fire Insurance sit
ustiOn in those countries. The re-
ports began to come in and con-
tanned. in most instances, interest
ing information. The United States
Chamber OF Commerce, having ac-
cess to these reports, saw their pos
sible value to insurance companies
and inquired IL these reports were
to be printed and distributed. This
inquiry developed the astonishing
and significant fact that though
these reports were obtained for the
information of American business,
there was no way of getting this
information to the public for the
simple reason the Bureau of For
eign and Domestic Commerce had
no funds to edit, print and dis
tribute
Realizing that this was a situa-
ton in which the United States
Chamber might be of practical help,
both to the government and the
companies interested, the insurance
department offered to undertake the
publication and distribution of the
reports, provided there was no OBJ
lection on the part of the bureau.
Not only was no objection raised.
but, on the contrary, the bureau aC-
Cepted the offer and an arrange
ment has now been made for fur
ther service of this kind and a sec
ond special bulletin was distributed
in January, for such use as the in
formation might be to the Compa-
nies and organizations interested.
By these two practical examples
1t may be seen how the United
States Chamber OF Commerce,
through the insurance department,
may function for the development
Of American insurance. And these
are only two examples. As the de-
partment develops its understand
ing of the needs OF the various ele-
ments OF American insurance, its
opportunities for service will eX-
pand. Undertaking to pioneer in an
entirely new field, progress is not
going to be rapid. For too many
years insurance stood apart from
other businesseach misunderstood
and still misunderstands the other.
Instead OF speaking of the relations
Of insurance and business" - thus
drawing wholly gratuitous dis
tinCtion, il is the purpose of the
insurance department to make ha-
bitual and natural the term "insur-> =
ance and other business" thus Civ
ing insurance its natural and right
full inclusion in the business struc-
ture of the nation. A beginning
was made when the insurance de-
partment committee was appointed
and which. in the psrlance of the
national chamber, is a balanced"
committee. composed of the various
components of insurance-fre. ma
rine, life, casualty and surety, the
agents. and then other business men
representing Industrial and mer-
camille life-the buyers of insur-
ance.
The theory Of the "balanced" COM
mittee is that it brings to bear upon
all questions up for consideration
the point of view of the insurance
buying or public side. Naturally,
a majority of the questions orig
mate and will continue to originate,
from insurance sources. But once
agreed upon by the whole commit
tee, it is no longer a partisan in
surance question, but a RESPONSE
bility assumed jointly by insurance
and the public, and therefore en-
tirely devoid of selfish or narrow
purpose.
1t is easily conceivable that if
this were not true, and il recon-
mendations of the insurance depart
ment came wholly from the insur-
ance side, the interests of insurance
itself would suffer a serious disad-
vantage and, no matter how right
and legitimate, the proposal would
lay itself open to criticism and
prejudice. The experiences Of in
suranCe companies with State legis-
latures is illuminative in this re-
speCt. Many sound and necessary
measures have been defeated and
much unsound and discriminatory
legislation has been enacted because
insurance interests alone undertook
to promote or defeat such legis-
lation. They were handicapped
from the start by appearing unsup-
ported by other public interests