The President Would it not be as well to refer this whole subject to the incoming Board of Directors, to make inquiry and report at the next meeting? Mr. Fox I think not, Mr. President, for the reason Mr. Smith has given— that time is of importance in this connection. Time is valuable. That committee of inquiry should be appointed, to report on what has been done and what is likely to be done. Mr. T. H. Smith I do not know but Mr. Fox's views may be right, but your committee, in preparing its report, considered the matter somewhat carefully, keeping in mind that we are primarily a social body, and it was thought best to leave it to the Board of Directors; but in order that there might be no mistake about it, that they be specially instructed to take action on behalf of this Association, if anything comes up necessary to be done. We certainly are not, as an Association, in a position to ask for a building. What have we to exhibit as an Association? I do not see now, any more than I did when the report was made, that anything more is needed on behalf of this Association than to place the Board of Directors in a position to take action when occasion arises. Mr. Fox As I understand, Mr. Chairman, you have stated that Mr. Hine is the chairman of one committee, and Mr. R. J. Smith of another, on different lines, looking to one result. Now, why not have a committee of inquiry as to what these committees are doing, and how we can co-operate with them, and instruct the Board of Directors. The President We might instruct the Board of Directors to work in harmony with these committees. Mr. Fox I do not think there is a person on this floor who knows what is being done, but we may know by to-morrow, if we make inquiry. The President inquired if Mr. Fox's motion for a committee of inquiry would be seconded, but received no response. Mr. R. J. Smith- It strikes me it is hardly necessary at this stage of the proceedings. I submit that if the other members of these committees do not know any more about what is being done than I do, certainly the committee of inquiry which Mr. Fox suggests would not find out a great deal; they certainly could not from me. Now, if this body authorize their incoming Board of Directors to do whatever they may think is necessary, their number is large enough, and they are men of sufficient discretion to do what is necessary so far as this Association is concerned. It seems to me that is about all that can be done by this body at present. The President- It strikes me, gentlemen, that this is about all we can expect to accomplish at this meeting. Are you ready for the question upon the adoption of the report of the committee? The motion that the report be adopted was carried The President- Before adjournment this noon, I believe we decided that discussion upon the able paper of Mr. Crosby be taken up at an early hour this afternoon. Are you ready to proceed? The paper is now before you for discussion. No remarks being offered, the President continued: I trust that Mr. Crosby will not take it from the silence of the gentlemen upon this invitation, that his paper has not been favorably received. I have had assurances to the contrary during the intermission. It is possible that Mr. Crosby has made such a complete statement of the matter that there is very little to be added at this time. The remarks which Mr. Smith (I think) incorporated in his report indicate that we can consider these things in our State Board meetings, and, if possible, make experts of ourselves in our field work, in the special hazards with which we have to deal. Are there any remarks to be made on Mr. Crosby's paper? Mr. J. O. Wilson- Mr. President, I would like to say, concerning the paper of Mr. Crosby, that it is one of the best, in the selection of a topic for timely consideration, that I have heard in many a long day-one of the very best. Its treatment has that happy combination of theory and actual experience that gives it very great value. I do not know whether all the gentlemen here heard it as distinctly as he himself could have wished, but I am sure that if there is any modesty on the part of the brethren here in expressing their opinions, it lies in this fact-that a man may well hesitate to speak, on the spur of the moment, on a topic of that sort, when it has been treated so acceptably in the manner that paper of Mr. Crosby's did this morning. I can only say, for myself, that I think it one of the very best and most timely papers I ever heard read before this Association. To me, it throws most practical light upon what must soon come to pass. What action this Association may decide to take I cannot say, but the paper itself is worth a great deal of consideration as to how a great difficulty can be overcome, and I am sure that Mr. Crosby need not hesitate to take away with him the heartiest thanks of this body for his paper. Mr. H. H. Friedley- Mr. Chairman, I would like to inquire whether there is provision made for extra copies of Mr. Crosby's paper? The President- Without special resolution, it will be printed only in the regular Proceedings. Mr. Friedley- In Indiana we would be very glad to have copies of that address at an early date. We have there a rather compact territory. A great many Special Agents live at Indianapolis and have charge of the greatest interests of the companies in Indiana, and we feel that we could use the ideas and suggestions made in this admirable paper with great advantage at an early day, and if Mr. Crosby would furnish us with a copy of it, we would be very glad to have it as soon as possible. In the Proceedings of the Association it may not be published for some three or four months after the meeting. Mr. W. F. Fox- I think the hesitation on the part of members present in responding to invitations to discuss Mr. Crosby's paper, comes largely from the fact that this is constituted as a social body, not an executive one, nor a law-making one, and perhaps we would be intrenching somewhat upon the prerogatives of others if we were to say that we approved this plan of appointing one expert to do the work of inspection. We can say it is a proper thing to do, but our superiors may say they do not think it is, and there we are, at a standstill. I think a sense of that fact is what keeps members back from saying what they think. It must occur to any intelligent underwriter that the present methods of inspecting business are very expensive, to say the least, For ten Specials to examine One man could do all for the and not very satisfactory as to results. the same risk in one day is nonsense. ten companies; but that is our way of doing business. This body may recommend Mr. Crosby's plan as a very proper subject for consideration on the part of our superiors; that is all we can do. Perhaps every Special, reporting on risks to his own particular company, is as much alive to the fact that some one else might do his work better, as is sible for him to be, but that is the way the business is done, and it is not for him to say it should be done in any other way. pos I think I voice the sentiment of the convention when I say that, while we approve of the methods Mr. Crosby suggests, we are powerless to put them into execution. The President- In bringing this subject forward, gentlemen, it was my idea, and I expressed it to Mr. Crosby, that it was hardly possible to have this body take, any decided action, or stand, upon the matter. I simply told him that he was addressing a body composed very largely of active field men, like himself, in the profession. They were all members of State Boards, which were in a measure executive bodies, and if his remarks bore any fruit at all, it would be through these various State Boards coming into contact with the Specials. Are there any other remarks ? Mr. Crosby-Just one word. I do not wonder at hesitancy in expressing opinion on the paper which I had the pleasure of presenting to you. The general ideas, I know, are not new to you; you must have considered them many and many a time. If we have been able to accomplish anything in New England, it has been very largely owing to the fact that we are very much concentrated, covering a small field, geographically, and it would be impossible to put the same ideas into operation in the great territory covered by this Association. But we had to do something, or lose our bread and butter. The fact that last year the first-class Mutuals represented in Massachusetts and Rhode Island took five millions of premiums of first-class business, that the other Mutuals in New England, old-established institutions, together with these Manufacturers' Mutuals, wrote or received over a third of the premiums in New England, tells you what competition we have to meet from that source, and that is one of the causes which led us to take up the question of sprinkler protection, and appoint our committee for that purpose. I would add this: that we have brought before the consideration of that committee 965 manufacturing establishments; we have equipped over 500, and, with the exception of ten or a dozen, they are all in the Stock companies to-day. It is not an exaggeration to say that not one of these risks could have been insured in our companies had it not been for this organization of ours, and I think that our experience shows that, with a practical system of improvements and inspection, the Stock companies can carry these risks successfully, and as well as the Mutual companies. It is not necessary for us to lose our business, and I present our experience to you as suggestive, and for your information, without the expectation of your taking any definite action. The President- About a year ago it was my pleasure to visit, while in session, the State Boards of Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. They had introduced an innovation in their proceedings at that meeting, which was, I will say, attended by 85 per cent. of their membership-the largest meeting they had ever held. The innovation consisted of the reading of papers prepared by a committee selected in advance. There were three papers read at that meeting, every one of them excellent papers. One of them, on the subject of the adjustment of losses, attracted my attention, and I expressed the belief that the party who delivered that address had taken one more step on the ladder of fame. In the interval this gentleman has taken still another step, in connecting himself with one of the most prominent companies in this country, as a field man. He had already been a field man with another company for a number of years. I invited the gentleman to read a paper at this meeting. He is with us to-day, and will address us on the subject: "As to Our Honesty." I have the pleasure of introducing Mr. Seth W. Eggleston, of Kansas. Mr. Eggleston AS TO OUR HONESTY. MR. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN OF THE FIRE UNDERWRITERS' ASSOCIATION OF THE NORTHWEST: You all know that nature grants a monopoly to parents in the naming of their children. Cleveland named his baby Frances. My |