The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1933-06-28

waterbury motorists who COM
plain of high property damage and
public liability rates should realize
! that they are responsible for the
rates charged in this city and not
the companies that impose them.
This was included in a resume of
the subject given by H. D. Sher-
wood, branch manager of the
Travellers Insurance company, to
the Kiwanis club members at their
weekly meeting this noon in the
Hotel Elton.
Mr. Sherwood pointed out three
three factors that make To-
cal auto insurance rates the high
est in the state and on q par with
the highest in the nation. He
said that accidents have increased
at an alarming rate of recent years;
that damage awrds hive maternity
amounted; and that there may ex-
ist in the city difficult traffic con-
troll problems. He suggested CO.
operative efforts to change these
three factors.
His speech in full follows:
Many people were OF the
opinion that the Insurance COM
panies were most unreasonable in
their charges for automobile in
surancss and the insurance agents
of Waterbury were put upon the
defensive in their attempts to ex-
plain the reasons for the increase.
In the general discussion of the
subject, as is so often the case with
heated arguments, the real es-
sence of the matter was over
looked for the most part. The
truth of the mater was, Is, and
oalways will be that the public, not
the insurance companies, makes
the rates.
"The word public in this con-
nection means more than just the
individuals who operate motor We
hicles. 1t unquestionably does
include the drivers of cars, but It
also includes pedestrians, police,
jurymen, and others who have a
hand in determining the frequency,
the severity, and the cost OF auto
mobile accidents.
1--WE Americans are accustomed
to take great credit to ourselves
for the advanced state of civiliza-
tion in this country, as we are
pleased to regard 1t, without stop
ping to consider whether our
claims are altogether well found
ed. 1t is an axiom of history that
the degree of a given civilization is
determined to a great extent by the
regard manifested for human life.
We point the finger of scorn at the
older civilizations because they did
not exhibit this high regard for
human life. In fact much of the
high civilization of ancient Greece
and Rome was based upon human
slavery, which enabled the few to
attain an extraordinary degree OF
culture. Warfare both civil and in
ternational was the order of the
day. The Romans in particular en-
joyed the sports OF the amphi-
theater in which captive wild ami
mails were killed for the amuse-
ment Of the crowd and even hui
man beings were permitted to fight
one another to the death for the
same reason.
To-day, however, we are guilty
Of what history will record as one
Of the outstanding examples OF dis
regard Of human life. Every
twenty-four hours in this country
an average of eighty people are
killed BY automobiles. II that
number were wiped out in some
form OF catastrophe every day in
the year the daily newspapers
would be reporting the occur
rences with sensational headlines,
but because this slaughter takes
place as a series of local accidents
no particular attention is paid to
it. We regard the loss of life and
limb in war as a frightful and I'M
necessary slaughter, but during the
entire period Of fifteen years cover
ed by the six wars in which this
country has engaged only 100000
were killed in action or died of