In

be convenient and were practically inaccessible to members. time the annually published proceedings of the association meetings, volumes of insurance periodicals, and gifts of their insurance libraries by deceased members were added. Three or four years prior to 1893 these treasures were deposited in the basement of the Woman's Temple in Chicago, under the custodianship of Mr. R. M. Buckman.

In the autumn of 1893 Mr. R. M. Buckman, representing the association, made efforts to secure an appropriation and the establishment of a permanent library room, and at the annual meeting of the association that year a committee composed of Messrs. George W. Hayes, H. C. Eddy and George W. Adams, together with the president and secretary, was appointed with authority to act in the matter. It resulted in the renting, for a term of years, of Room 225 in the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, which was appropriately fitted up with library furniture, and the books and other literary belongings of the association were placed therein.

In 1907 the library committee deemed it necessary, owing to the fact that the books of the association were accumulating, but of little or no benefit to the members, to secure a room or rooms where the library could be installed and at the same time be made the headquarters for members from out of town. With this purpose in view, Mr. John Marshall, chairman of the library committee, secured quarters in the Rookery Building, and in October, 1908, the library was moved and a librarian placed in charge. At this time the library contained less than 900 volumes and the books were more of historical interest than otherwise. In 1911, on the completion of the new Insurance Exchange Building, the Chicago Board of Underwriters granted a space on the twenty-first floor for the use of the combined libraries of the Fire Underwriters' Association of the Northwest, the Fire Insurance Club of Chicago and the Board of Underwriters. It is now located in the heart of the fire insurance interests and easily accessible to students of the business. From a comparatively small beginning the library has now some 1,500 volumes besides numerous pamphlets and files of current magazines. The library is open during office hours every business day of the year and is in charge of Miss Abbie B. Gantz, librarian.

FIRE UNDERWRITERS' ASSOCIATION OF THE PACIFIC, composed of general and special agents, managers, assistant managers, and independent adjusters of fire insurance companies doing business on the Pacific coast and having its headquarters at San Francisco, was organized in November, 1875, and was the outgrowth of the Virginia City, Nev., fire of October, 1875. [For an account of the formation of this association see the Cyclopedia of Insurance 1893-94.]

The forty-second annual meeting of the association was held in San Francisco, February 5 and 6, 1918. President Porep presided and in his address briefly reviewed the work of the association for the

year, and conditions in the field, and urged that greater effort be made to increase the membership. He suggested that some plan be arranged to insure a permanent income for the library. The president also strongly commended the efforts of state authorites and of associations in the work of fire prevention.

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Reports from the secretary, treasurer, librarian and committees were presented, and papers were read as follows: Insurance Commissioners' Experiences," Harvey Wells, insurance commissioner of Oregon; Value of Local State Agents Associations," John F. Lyon, Tacoma; Myths and Paradoxes of Insurance," William Deans; Early British Insurance Organizations," John M. Mendel, London Assurance; "Threshing Machines - Growing Grain Fires," Frank M. Emerick, Fireman's Fund; Mining Plants," Jerome B. Walden, Royal; "Ship Building and Its Hazards," W. T. Burwell; The Profession of Insurance and the Man It Needs," John H. Schively; ash Industry," F. R. Perry; "The Manufacture of Milk Products," Douglas Parker; "Profit Insurance," Geo. E. Townsend, Ætna; "Amendments Made to the Dominion of Canada Insurance Act," John L. Noble; Everyday Phrases of the Fire Insurance Business," Frank Lock, Atlas; Arson Activities," Walter E. Evans:

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Officers were elected as follows: President, Edwin Parrish, Niagara Fire; vice-president, G. A. R. Hener, secretary and treasurer, Calvert Meade; assistant secretary and librarian, J. P. Moore.

FIRE UNDERWRITERS' ASSOCIATIONS, GENERAL, SECTIONAL AND STATE. The list of associations of fire underwriters is a long one, and includes associations that are national in scope, also several sectional associations, and numerous state and local organizations. Their objects are as diversified and range from supervising and rating organizations to those that are purely social and educational in their activities. National, sectional, state, and the more important local associations will be found in alphabetical order in this volume. [See also Cyclopedia for 1913-14, and earlier volumes.]

FIRE UNDERWRITERS' CLUB of Cincinnati. [See Cincinnati Underwriters' Association.]

FIRE UNDERWRITERS ELECTRICAL BUREAU, New York, N. Y. The bureau was organized March 31, 1904, by fire insurance companies: "For the encouragement of standard construction and protection in electrical traction and electric light and power properties, and for systematic inspection of such properties."

Wm. A. Stoney, 1 Liberty Street, New York, is secretary and treasurer of the bureau and the executive committee is composed of representatives of the following companies: Great American, Liverpool and London and Globe, North British and Mercantile, National Fire, Home, Hartford Fire and Ætna.

FIRE UNDERWRITERS FIELD CLUB OF OHIO, an organization of union companies, was organized in October, 1901. The present officers, elected at the annual meeting in December, 1917, are: President, C. E. Monroe, New York Underwriters Agency; vicepresident, Vincent L. Gallagher, Ætna; secretary and treasurer, Aaron W. Jones, New Hampshire Fire.

FIRE

UNDERWRITERS'

INSPECTION BUREAU OF SAN FRANCISCO. [See Fire Prevention Bureau of the Pacific.]

FIRE UNDERWRITERS, NATIONAL BOARD OF, [See National Board.]

FIRE UNDERWRITERS' UNIFORMITY ASSOCIATION was organized in 1906 as the National Association for Uniform Inspection Reports, and adopted the present name at the annual meeting in 1907. The purposes of the association are to assist companies in securing uniform inspection reports. The first officers elected were: President, Wm. A. Stoney, New York; vicepresident, H. C. Henley, St. Louis; secretary and treasurer, R. Walter Hilliard, Boston. The present officers, elected at the annual meeting in New York, May, 1918, are: President, H. V. Thayer, Boston; vice-president, J. S. Speed, Little Rock; secretary and treasurer, William S. Boyd, Chicago, Ill., 175 W. Jackson Blvd.

FIRE UNDERWRITERS' UNION. [See Eastern Union.]

FIRST BULGARIAN INSURANCE COMPANY, Bulgaria. Snow & Thieme, United States managers, New York, N. Y. The company was required to cease business in 1917 under the provisions of the "Trading with the Enemy" act.

FIRST NATIONAL FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY, Washington, D. C. Organized, 1912; capital, paid up, $911,305. The company was placed in the hands of a receiver in 1917.

FIRST REINSURANCE COMPANY, Hartford, Conn. Organized 1912; capital, $500,000. Carl Schreiner, president; Heber H. Stryker, secretary.

FIRST RUSSIAN INSURANCE COMPANY, Petrograd, Russia. Paul E. Rasor, United States manager, New York.

FITCHBURG MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY, Fitchburg, Mass. Organized 1847. Lincoln R. Welch, president; J. Lovell Johnson, vice-president; Frederick W. Porter, secretary.

FLORIDA FIRE PREVENTION SOCIETY was organized in July, 1912, and officers were elected as follows: President, George W. Mills; vice-president, Frank T. Evans; secretary and treasurer, J. H. Talley. The present officers, elected in 1917, are: President, John A. Whitner, Jr., Liverpool and London and Globe: vice-president, Dorsey T. Davis, Jacksonville; secretary and treasurer, Caldwell Haynes, Jacksonville.

FOREIGN FIRE INSURANCE COMPANIES - RECEIPTS FROM AND REMITTANCES TO HOME OFFICES IN 1917. [See Receipts from and Remittances to Home Offices of Foreign Fire Insurance Companies.]

FRANKLIN FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY, THE, of Philadelphia. Chartered 1829; capital, $500,000. Elbridge G. Snow, president Frederic C. Buswell, vice-president; Clarence A. Ludlum, vice-president; Charles L. Tyner, vice-president and secretary; Wilfred Kurth, secretary; Howard P. Moore, assistant secretary; Joseph A. Steel, assistant secretary. Admitted assets, December 31, 1917 $2,953,110.66; liabilities, $1,940,966.77. Control of this company was required by interests identified with the Home Insurance Company of New York in 1915.

FRANKLIN MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY, Providence, R. I. Organized 1854. Joseph G. Henshaw, president; Richard Bowen, secretary.

FRANKONA REINSURANCE COMPANY, Berlin, Germany. C. H. Franklin, United States manager, New York. Ceased business in November, 1917, under provisions of the "Trading with the Enemy" act.

G

GENERAL ADJUSTMENT BUREAU was organized at a meeting of company officers held in New York in November, 1905. It is an incorporated body, and its purposes are to adjust losses and to have general charge over adjustment of losses throughout the east. Frank Lock, manager of the Atlas, was elected president and C. D. Dunlop, vice-president of the Providence-Washington, vicepresident. An executive committee was also elected as follows: E. H. A. Correa, Home, chairman; Henry Evans, Continental; Edward Milligan, Phoenix; Henry W. Eaton, Liverpool and London and Globe; and C. F. Shallcross, Royal. W. J. Greer is general manager of the bureau; Wilfred Garretson, assistant general manager. Headquarters, 80 Maiden Lane, New York. At the annual meeting in 1917, C. D. Dunlop, Providence Washington was elected president; C. F. Shallcross, Royal, vice-president; and N. B. Bassett, secretary; directors, F. C. Buswell, C. D. Dunlop, G. B. Edwards, Henry W. Eaton, Geo. M. Lovejoy, F. R. Millard, John B. Morton, Cecil F. Shallcross, A. H. Wray.

GENERAL AGENTS. The title of general agent has no special application or definition, but as a rule, a general agent has jurisdiction over a designated territory, though in some cases he may have jurisdiction over a company's entire field of operations. In fire insurance a general agent is practically the underwriting manager for a given territory and appoints local and special agents.

GENERAL FIRE ASSURANCE COMPANY OF PARIS, Paris, France. Fred. S. James & Co., New York, United States managers.

GENERAL INSPECTION COMPANY, Minneapolis, Minn. This is a rating organization, and operates in Minnesota and North and South Dakota. Walter I. Fisher is manager and Charles J. Lund, assistant_manager; J. B. McLeran, Duluth; Edgar Pritchard, Minneapolis; Edw. A. Ritt, St. Paul; H. I. Howe, Winona, are district managers.

GEORGIA HOME INSURANCE COMPANY, THE, Columbus, Ga. Organized 1859; capital, $200,000. Rhodes Browne, president; Dana Blackmar, vice-president and secretary; W. B. Cotton, treasurer; R. C. Leutje, assistant secretary.

ASSOCIATION

GEORGIA LOCAL UNDERWRITERS' was organized in March, 1898, with F. W. Cole, president, and W. P. Calloway, secretary. At the annual meeting, held in May, 1917, the following officers were elected: President, C. B. Ellis, Macon; vicepresidents, R. H. Drake, Griffin, and W. K. Jenkins, Ashburn; sec