LLANOS 



3471 



LOBBY AND LOBBYING 



part of the body where the skin is broken pro- 

 duces a very dangerous sore, like the venom 

 of a serpent. There are two wild species of 

 the llama, the vicuna and the guanaco; and 

 two domestic species, the llama and the alpaca, 

 both probably derived from the guanaco. See 

 VICUNA; ALPACA. 



LLANOS, lahn'ohz, a name applied by the 

 Spaniards to the vast treeless plains in Vene- 

 zuela and Colombia, in South America. They 

 extend inland from the delta of the Orinoco to 

 the Yapura, a branch of the Amazon River, and 

 have an area of about 300,000 square miles, or 

 a larger territory than Texas or the province 

 of Alberta. Heavy rains fall in the wet season, 

 and the rivers flood the country; but after the 

 water recedes rich grasses grow which provide 

 food for herds of cattle and horses and flocks 

 of sheep. Hot winds scorch the vegetation dur- 

 ing the dry season, and the country becomes a 

 desert; the animals then move where water 

 can be found. The inhabitants of these plains 

 are known as llaners. The plains farther south 

 are called pampas; these are covered with a 

 tall feathery grass, which, near the rivers, is 

 green throughout the year. See PLAIN. 



LLOYD GEORGE, DAVID. See GEORGE, DAVID 

 LLOYD. 



LLOYDS', loids', an insurance company of 

 London, devoted primarily to marine insurance 

 business. It is one of the greatest commercial 

 organizations in the world, and is also known 

 for its willingness to assume risks of unusual, 

 character. The firm, which was incorporated in 

 1871, originated about 1688 in the gatherings 

 of a group of merchants who were accustomed 

 to meet for business and sociability at Lloyd's 

 Coffee House in Tower Street, London; from 

 this famous coffee house the company took its 

 name. The present headquarters consist of a 

 merchant's room, library, restaurant and a 

 room for the use of underwriters, in which auc- 

 tions are also held. The association is made up 

 of members and subscribers, and the govern- 

 ment of the corporation is delegated to a com- 

 mittee. Subscribers pay an annual fee of about 

 $25, but are permitted no voice in the manage- 

 ment of affairs. Members are divided into two 

 classes, underwriters and non-underwriters. 

 Lloyd's receives daily reports of shipping in all 

 parts of the world, which, with other informa- 

 tion on that subject, are published every day. 

 It also issues annually Lloyd's Register oj Ship- 

 ping. 



While Lloyd's affairs are always handled for 

 profit, they are conducted in accordance with 



good business methods. If a manufacturer in 

 America or any other country wishes to insure 

 his plant against fire for a large amount and his 

 local insurance company for any reason cannot 

 take the whole risk, it may ask a broker of 

 Lloyd's to assume a certain part of it. When 

 the broker receives this request, he turns it 

 over to other brokers of the company, each 

 representing a number of underwriters. Each 

 representative designates how much of the to- 

 tal risk he is willing to assume, and when the 

 whole sum has been subscribed the London 

 company returns a binder to the local insurance 

 agency. This binder means that Lloyd's covers 

 the risk under the same conditions that the 

 local company does, and while this does not 

 actually insure the property, it confirms the 

 judgment of the home agency. If the manu- 

 facturer's local insurance company withdraws 

 its policy, that of the London agency is also 

 withdrawn. 



As an example of its unusual risks, such as 

 no other company will consider, Lloyd's will 

 insure a singer's voice, a dancer's foot, a pugil- 

 ist's fists or the outcome of an election which 

 promises to be very close; it once insured a 

 valuable pear tree in California for $30,000 

 against fire and frost, and it is not unusual to 

 insure a London merchant against loss of cus- 

 tom because of a storm on a special sale day. 



LOADSTONE. See MAGNET AND MAGNET- 

 ISM. 



LOAM, lome, a soil compounded of sand and 

 clay, sufficient sand being present to keep the 

 clay from forming a solid mass. Carbonate of 

 lime is usually present in small quantities, and 

 the presence of decayed animal and vegetable 

 matter, in the form of humus, adds greatly to 

 the richness of the loam. All loam soils are 

 suited to farming and gardening, those in which 

 sand predominates being best for early crops. 

 See SOIL. 



LOB 'BY AND LOB 'EYING. A lobby is a 

 spacious entrance way to an assembly hall or 

 hall of legislation, conveniently used as a wait- 

 ing room by those who have business to trans- 

 act with officials. The term has also been 

 applied for years to those persons who meet 

 legislators for the purpose of influencing their 

 votes on certain measures. "Lobbying" is the 

 act of using persuasion and influence upon a 

 lawmaker, either openly or in secret, to secure 

 his support and vote. In national capitals and 

 in every state and provincial capital during 

 legislative sessions and in city council chambers 

 are sometimes scores of men and women who 



