352 BOARD OF AGEICULTURE. 



President Jones appointed the following committees: 



Auditing Committee— W. A. Kelsey. L. W. Dunfee, C. G. Hunter. 



Committee on Resolutions — Enoch Drumm, D. O. Billing, William 

 Watlington. 



Legislative Committee — Aaron Jones, D. F. Clark, Hon. George V. 

 Kell, R. A. Kirkman. 



PLAN BY WHICH MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANIES MAY ASSESS 



PROPERLY RODDED BUILDINGS AT A LESS RATE 



THAN THOSE NOT RODUED. 



L. W. DtTNFEE, COLUMBIA CITY. 



Whether it would be advisable for a mutual insurance company to 

 make special rates for certain classes of risks is a debatable question, and 

 before a company decides to do it, it would be well to canvass the matter 

 thoroughly. It might lead to much contention among the policy holders, 

 confusion and trouble for the officers, and Avork disaster to the company 

 itself. In order to have a mutual company each member must place his 

 property on a common basis with that of every other member, although 

 he may have a much better risk than many of his neighbors. The man 

 who has only live stock insured must agree to help pay lor his neighbor's 

 barn that may be burned by a tramp. 



The man Avho has a brick house with a metal roof and heated by a 

 furnace must place his property on a level Avith that of the man whose 

 risk is ■'not so good. It would be impossible for mutual companies to 

 classify the risks as the old line companies do and make different rates. 

 It would break the bonds that bind the members of a mutual company 

 together. 



It has been demonstrateji here by the reports that buildings protected 

 by good rods are less liable to be struck by lightning than those not so 

 protected. Now, whether these facts will warrant the placing of such 

 protected buildings in a class by themselves and giving them a less rate, 

 I will leave for the gentlemen present to discuss. 



In making a plan by which such assessments could be made, a knowl- 

 edge of the by-laws under which the company is to work would be neces- 

 sary. For instance, in a series of losses tli.it had all occurred by fire, 

 should the protected l)uildings pay the full or partial rate? Or in a series 

 of losses that occurred, partially by tire and partially by lightning, what 

 should determine the rate of assessment V All of these points, of course, 

 would be provided for l)y the by-laws. 



