Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-09-25
INSURANCE AGENTS
SERIOUSNESS GAIN
Convention Delegates Are
Certain Of Improvement in
Near Future.
BY ROLLIN M. CLARK.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
PHILADELPHIA, September 24.-A
thousand Of the leading fire and casual
ty insurance agents Of the country were
speeding homeward today to all parts
Of the United States from the thirty
seventh annual convention Of their
trade organization. the National Asso-
citation Of Insurance Agents, Just con-
cluded here. confident that genuine i'm
provement in their business Is in the
ofhng.
Two factors account for their opti-
mism. One. OF course, Is the prevailing
belief that some measure of business
recovery has already set In and further
progress may be anticipated. The 9TH
er Is the manifestation CT a new spirit
OF teamwork and cooperation between
insurance companies and their agents.
New Cooperative Movement.
There was much evidence Of this
new cooperative feeling in the conven-
ton sessions. The officers of the asso-
citation expressed a desire to work more
closely with the companies which the
membership Of the body represents, and.
In turn. company representatives made
defnlte proposals for future Joint action
agents present a new era was heralded,
for there has been noticeable lack
OF full cooperation in past years to the
detriment of the fire and casualty bust
ness as a whole.
An Illustration of the change that
has come about was noted in the man
ner In which controversial issues before
the convention were handled One was
the protest OF the Pennsylvania Asso-
ication Of Insurance agents AGAINST
company branch Offices which write
business In direct competition with
agents. This group raised the point
That solicitors can take their business
to such branch Offices and receive in
many instances the same commissions
which are r d to local agents who
operate their own Offices The differ
ence Is that the solicitor has no over
head, while the agent must pay all the
operating expenses of his office out of
his commissions
In years past such an issue would
probably have resulted in a strong reso-
luton OF protest by the national or
ganization. Ill will would have been
engendered. In this convention the
problem was referred to so-called con-
ference committee which meets occa-
sionally with similar committee repre-
Sentlng the companies. Thus by con-
ference and mediation a solution salts
factory to both sides will probably be
found
Accident Prevention Program.
Just six months ago the Agents As
ISOLATION condemned the casualty COM
panies for their failure to take agents
into their confidence before announcing
changes in automobile liability insur-
ance rates. AS result hundreds of
agents opposed the efforts of the COM
panies to obtain revised rates At this
meeting, the casualty companies we're
praised for presenting to the agents a
program in which local agents may as
sumo leadership in their communities
for prevention of accidents. Through
this campaign it is hoped 1t will be pos
sible to make dent in the heavy acct
dent toll and thereby effect reduction
in insurance rates.
Another sign of a conciliatory attitude
was shown in the spirit with which the
agents took the recent change in work.
mems compensation insurance rates.
which will result in a reduction of their
commissions on large risks paying pre-
NUNS Of more than $1,000 There were
some individual protests over this but
the. association as whole took no
tCopyright, 1922