Evening star., 1928-10-07
GOV. FULLER CALLS FOR CUT
IN BAY STATE RISK RATES
Tells Insurance Commission
er Motoring Public Is En-
titled to Reduction.
Says List Is Based on High
Claims Total Reported by
Insurance Men.

Gov. Fuller's position on the matter
is found in his letter to former-Com-
missioner Monk, as follows:
my dear Mr.. Commissioner:
"I want to urge you to apply the acio
test to the $5,0000 900 amount which mas
been given you as the sum total OF
claims made against the insurance COM
panies as yet unpaid under our COM
pulsory insurance law. know you have
a dificult problem on your hands In de-
termining what proportion OF this
SIS 900 900 you will take as valid ano
conservative figure upon which to oaSe
the new insurance rates, ana 1urtner
know that no two men, probably, ID
studying this question, would come 70
the same conclusion. Therefore, am
taking the liberty Of enumerating rev
matters which believe warrant scaImg
down somewhat this bogy hgure winch
the insurance companies have set up IN
the nature of claims which you in turn
have to consider in making the rates for
another year.
"I do not feel that the State has dis
charged its full duty to those who Will
fall heir to these higher rates by merely
stating that undoubtedly some OF the
claims are exaggerated; that some doc
tors have collaborated in offering evl-
dence to substantiate unfair claims, or
that we have referred to the Bar AsSo-
ciation the cases of certain lawyers VINO
we feel should be disbarred from further
unfair and dishonest claims under our
insurance laws.
Raps at Lawyers.
"I do not believe it is going to satisfy
our citizens to refer the matter OF dis
honesty among lawyers to the Bar ASso-
citation. It is my personal opinion tnat
a long, long time will elapse before the
Bar Association purges itself OF dishon-
est members. If motor car owners are
to be obliged to wait for fair deal on
Insurance matters until the Bar Associa-
ton acts, then, to use slang express
sion, they're out Of luck
"It is not my understanding that we
make a general practice Of referring
charges against dishonest jewelers. 70
a committee of jewelers. or charges
against dishonest produce men to the
chamber of commerce, and l snail moi
believe we have exercised due vigilance
in this matter of fraud on the public
perpetrated in connection with our
compulsory insurance law until you
have called in the attorney general
and the commissioner of public safety
and urged them to give you the utmost
cooperation In ferreting out every bo-
gus claim that has been made under
the insurance law.
"If the attorney generals depart
ment needs more assistants in order
to do this work, you can rest assured
I will approve the appropriation and
such increases in his department as
are necessary to cope with this new
problem. I know of no better use that
can be made of the attorney generals
ONCE and the State police than to put
them on the trail of these imposters.
Hits False Claims.
Dishonest motorists who file bogus
claims under the insurance law should
be given short shrift. They have at
tempted to swindle the public through
the insurance companies and ought to
be prosecuted. Either the insurance
commissioner must summon to his aid
all the forces of the State to fight this
wholesale swindle that is being COM