and Ben Franklin Fire Insurance companies); capital, $1,000,000. Samuel McKnight, president; H. M. Schmitt, secretary; Thos. A. Hathaway, assistant secretary. NATIONAL BOARD OF FIRE UNDERWRITERS was organized July 18, 1866, in the city of New York. [For a history of the National Board from its organization and a list of the original members, see the Cyclopedia of Insurance for 1891.] The following is a list of the officers of the National Board to the present time: President. Vice-Presidents. Lucius J. Hendee, Secretaries. Lucius J. Hendee, D. W. C. Skilton, D. W. C. Skilton, D. W. C. Skilton, D. W. C. Skilton, Robert B. Beath. Robert B. Beath. Robert B. Beath. Robert B. Beath. Robert B. Beath. J. S. Parish of Providence, R. I., was treasurer from the organization of the board until the time of his death in November, 1889, when Fred W. Arnold, also of Providence, was appointed by the executive committee. He was re-elected by the board yearly until 1904, when he declined re-election and was succeeded by Marshall S. Driggs, who served until his death in 1910. C. J. Holman was elected in 1911, and is the present treasurer. Thomas H. Montgomery was general agent from 1872 to 1878, and Henry K. Miller received that title in 1899, and remained as general agent until his death in 1911. W. E. Mallalieu is the present general agent. The chairmen of the executive committee have been: D. A. Heald, E. W. Crowell, Rudolph Garrigue, Stephen Crowell, George T. Hope, B. Lockwood, E. A. Walton, George P. Sheldon, and Peter Notman of New York; J. N. Dunham of Springfield; Jotham Goodnow of Hartford; H. W. Eaton, E. F. Beddell, Marshall S. Driggs, Henry E. Bowers, H. H. Hall, J. Montgomery Hare, New York; A. W. Damon, Springfield; Geo. W. Babb, W. N. Kremer, and E. G. Richards, New York; R. M. Bissell, Hartford; F. C. Buswell. Henry K. Miller was secretary of the committee from 1873 to 1899, his predecessors having been W. H. Post, A. J. Smith, C. B. Whiting, and Frank W. Ballard. The fifty-second annual meeting of the Board was held in New York, May 23, 1918. President Bissell presided and in his address reviewed briefly the war service rendered by the Board during the year, and continuing said: "It remains true as heretofore that carelessness and neglect are the great fundamental causes lying back of nearly all of the assigned fire causes. But the marked increase in losses for the year just closed is probably chiefly due to the abnormal industrial conditions brought about by the war, coupled with extraordinarily cold weather during the last portion of the year, which in conjunction with the fuel shortage caused very heavy losses in highly protected risks of large values. The hasty construction of new factories and the enlargement of old ones, the congestion both in factories and warehouses, overtime work to the extent in many cases of the employment of three shifts of hands, the unavoidable employment of inferior workmen, and the constant shifting of workmen from one industry to another, to say nothing of the vast increase in the production of inflammable and explosive substances, have all combined to introduce industrial fire hazards on a scale hitherto unknown. In the recent past many state legislatures have appointed committees for the investigation of the fire insurance business. Almost uniformly these investigations have shown that the profit from fire underwriting was less than in almost any other business of similar importance, while capital invested in fire insurance incurs risks that are far above the average. Not only do our policies maintain business credits but stock fire insurance has frequently shown itself to be the only safeguard against the overwhelming financial disasters that without it would follow great conflagrations. It is our positive duty therefore by all proper means to see to it that the quality of the protection afforded shall remain unimpaired. The truth which has been long known to us, namely, that fire losses as well as the unavoidable expenses incurred in the fire prevention and loss adjustment work of the companies must be made up from premiums collected from the public, is beginning to be more widely appreciated. Undue taxation and unnecessary regulation either increase the cost or decrease the security to policyholders. Fire insurance companies will be found ready at all times to meet their full legitimate share of the expenses of the national and state governments in times of war or peace, but when we insist that insurance companies should not be penalized by the imposition of taxes far in excess of those borne by comparable industries we are speaking for the direct interests of the public as a whole quite as much as for our own. President Bissell referred to the work of the Board's committees briefly with an appreciative word of the service rendered by the office and field force of the Board, and continuing said: "There has never been a time when to foresee conditions would have been more useful or has been more difficult than at present. Many old landmarks have disappeared in a somewhat bewildering fashion. However, it is reasonable to assume that the principles of equity, of common sense, and of sound practice, which as applied to our business is a phase of the widest import, will continue to point the safest way amid whatsoever difficulties the war or the subsequent period of reconstruction and readapatation may present to us. The present situation plainly shadows forth possibilities of revolutionary changes in many kinds of business activity. War has made it easily possible for the Government to take over entirely the management of some of our greatest civil activities and to intervene frequently and to a dominating extent in the conduct of others. All industries and businesses are being subjected to the closest scrutiny and broadly speaking only those which can and do demonstrate their usefulness and efficiency of management can expect to avoid serious curtailment of their liberty of action or the imposition of superimposed methods charged with dangerous consequences. "The very imminence of the dangers referred to make it essential in the public interest as well as our own to counsel wisely together, to pass by individual advantage in favor of the general good, and to show ourselves responsive to every new influence of a soundly constructive character. At the same time we should steadfastly oppose sweeping and ill-considered proposals which are likely to be suggested in such critical times... "Our business is charged with great and peculiar public responsibilities. To aid in the maintenance of credit, to provide sound indemnity to those of our assured who may suffer loss by reason of fire or of the other perils against which we insure great and necessary as are these duties will not suffice in these days to satisfy the public or its law makers that we are properly performing our functions. We are expected to be and we must more and more become the conservators of the national resources from destruction by these perils. It is my personal belief, however much we may have done in this direction of late years, that the principle of conservationi.e., of fire prevention - as compared with indemnification for loss sustained must measure and will be by the public considered as measuring our right to pursue our way untrammeled by harassing statutory regulation and free from the threat of government or state insurance. Responsiveness to this demand that we assume leadership and direction in the campaign for lessening the scandalous waste of national resources may well turn out to be not only our chiefest duty but our surest hope for salvation. It is partly because of this conception of our duty and of our place in the body politic that I have felt it my duty to endeavor to direct so much of the effort of our organization to the work of conservation and protection. . . . "At present the overwhelming fact and condition governing all our thoughts and activities is that we are at war for the preservation of liberty in the world. Our abilities, our resources, our very persons are all subject and properly subject to the great and noble purpose of winning that war. He who at such a time gives priority in thought or action to the advancement of his own or his company's interest as compared with that surpassing interest fails to respond to the test of patriotism. Our foremost duty is to devote ourselves with steadfastness and unfaltering determination to the complete accomplishment of that undertaking, whatever may be the dangers, vicissitudes, or sacrifices involved. Do I err in saying that this paramount motive will furnish the best criterion by which to judge as to the wisdom of our plans as well as to measure the scope of our patriotic obligation? Let us not at this time take too much thought as to what may happen after the war, nor do we now need to concern ourselves with plans for novel activities. Let us first win the war. When that great task shall have been triumphantly accomplished we can face with confidence whatever the future may have in store, for we shall live in a world where justice and liberty have prevailed." The following are the figures of underwriting results contained in the president's address: $3,336,703,842 286,565.540 1,291.713,822 33.587.230 $3.336,703,842 The report of the executive committee, Charles L. Case, chairman, said that the work of the committee for the year would rank high in interest and importance among all that have been held since the Board was organized. The Board was engaged in service work, in public service more particularly during the last year, and the report, referring to the work of other national organizations, said, "these associations reciprocate our view of the mutuality of their aims with ours and welcomed "the opportunity for a closer acquaintance and better understanding." The report reviewed briefly the work of special committees, and action taken in respect to treasury regulations regarding enemy alien insurance companies, and submitted amendments to the Board's constitution and by-laws affecting the appointment of standing committees. The finance committee, F. W.-Sargeant, chairman, presented a report on the finances of the Board, and the committee on incendiarism and arson, N. S. Bartow, chairman, reviewed the work of the year in investigating fires. A complete change had been made in the activities under direction of the committee, said the report, and while the work was carried on through the co-operation of public officials the report stated that the co-operation of all public officials interested in repression of incendiarism and arson was enthusiastic. The committee on laws, C. A. Ludlum, chairman, noted a remarkable decrease in the number of measures enacted inimical to the business, and in the nine state legislatures in session in 1918 not one objectionable measure had been passed. The report referred briefly to the development of "The National Non-Partisan League," and at some length to the efforts for uniform legislation. Brief reports were presented from the special committee on public relations," the actuarial bureau committee, committee on adjustments,' clauses and forms,' lighting, heating and patents," and membership," reviewing the work of the year. 46 99 66 The committee on construction of buildings, H. H. Smith, chairman, stated that the normal activities of the committee had been greatly changed by the stress of war conditions, and as the normal work decreased the demand for war emergency work increased. The committee briefly reviewed the work done in planning for the protection of public buildings and docks and shipyards from fire. The report noted a tendency among municipalities to give less attention to fire protection and building codes, and while it was perfectly natural owing to the stress of war conditions, it was in a way unfortunate because the fire hazard was probably increased by those same conditions. The committee stated that taking the year as a whole there had been a reduction of about twenty-five per cent in the number of building codes revised and of fifty per cent in the number of new cities undertaking the drafting of new building ordinances. The committee on fire prevention, R. D. Harvey, chairman, stated that complete reports had been issued in eleven cities, and supplementary and special reports on several additional cities, besides other investigations and tests of fire apparatus at the request of municipalities. The report also briefly outlined the work done by the Board's engineers in supervising the building of army cantonments and other construction work undertaken by the government. The committee on statistics and origin of fires, Otho E. Lane, chairman, reported statistics of fires for the year, and stated that the loss for the year had been greater than any year since 1875, with the exception of 1906, the year of the San Francisco conflagration, although there had been but one conflagration during the year. The per capita loss for the whole country had risen from $2.10 in 1916 to $2.42 in 1917. Officers were elected as follows: President, F. C. Buswell, Home, New York; vice-president, Charles L. Case, London Assurance, New York; secretary, George G. Bulkley, Springfield Fire and Marine; treasurer, Charles J. Holman, Commercial Union, New York; members of the executive committee, Lyman Candee, Globe and Rutgers, New York; Frank Lock, Atlas, New York; P. L. Hoadley, American, Newark; R. D. Harvey, Royal Exchange, New York; Henry E. Reese, Etna, Hartford; J. B. Levison, Fireman's Fund, San Francisco; W. R. Hedge, Boston, Boston, Mass.; A. D. Baker, Michigan Commercial, Lansing; Edward Meinel, New York; C. G. Smith, Great American, N. Ÿ. Other members of the committee, are: E. E. Cole, National Union, Pittsburgh;_ E. W. West, Glens Falls, Glens Falls, N. Y.; Cecil F. Shallcross, Royal, New York; Edward Milligan, Phoenix Fire, Hartford; John B. Martin, Fire Association, Philadelphia. Honorary members, E. G. Snow, New York, and W. C. Crosby, Boston. The following is a list of the companies constituting the National Board of Fire Underwriters, June 1, 1918: Etna, Hartford, Ct. Agricultural, Watertown, N. Y. Allemannia Fire. Pittsburgh, Pa. American Central, St. Louis, Mo. American. Newark. Arizona Fire. Atlas Insurance. London. British-American Assurance, Toronto, |