Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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? Hjlll IUI IMC PAtfKIi DKCLA? ftM MMmoo nmaciLTo PARS Or tTAVfi. RseonUy Emm tod tnto Lew Decide to Bring Teet It of Me OmmUI Colembes. March 1?.?A permaacat tosses*lift it* to obtain tht sentiment Of tha people of South Carolina In gerd la the Insurance situation wee et?a|Sa fcseerday at a call od mooting a? represeatatlves from various com ajsntal orgaala%Uoaa in tho Bute. Which la a resolution dsclartd that fjm Vaeog free? aaetumro "Is Inimical to the buslaoos and farming Interests It was rocommended Haag Haasaa eonosrtod action at once, looking to ?sat thai "? Che issssUirstion of the same." To the* end. William M. Otis of Calagaasa, ahalrman of the meeting, woo selblMb)** to appoint one per sea ha each county who shall arrange for a JatJrt meeting of the business In ootamerical bodies, farmers ?n for the las; the present alt-. appropriate Matt waa vested to Institute a suit to teat ssootleoUsnsllty and validity all saw. I of the meat hag was unanimous ha oppoeiUon to tha Lenay-Qdom haw. Tha sug for tha formation of mutual lea to cere for tha shortage of hmorance was elasse a sevsaoosnr; M Was hold asm that tha dearth of I lawseejueee would cause some -cities tn * bankrupt; thai U fitting and loa* awl ol business; that the of the & S u. a wpui4 not raise., that the failure to attain hasarooVs would miliute ptsmnlnsll/ against tho farming and mttessuu ^jfiiojic Tht meeting, however, which was hp It] registered delegates It of the 44 counties, was not aat aided. F. H. McMas comntioslonsr, was I hoard at length In out wing his posl Ham towards tho measure. R. B. mt wMftar. a member of tht who fought for tha bill la aha hopes, tho resolution and itst^taiaed^th the general aasem stsp judgment" tho measure. All the other speak l however, with one exception of tho seriousness of the sit throagh the withdrawal of the and went mto various of the results of "no I mooting y ester day was felt hol to bo premature and for that _ sa tha resolution did not take tho form of di fart to action, but sug a plan ua order to reach a km at the latest possible mo Tho snggwetlosV to call an ax* of the legislature In the future was also discountenanced, so It was hold that steh an action shoo Id come only after mature* con afdwmtion snd after the demand far M had come from the people ol tho. very small percentage of the -tee at the meeting wire 1 neur? onen or underwriters, as it hoped by Columbia agents that any agitation that nught rtsult In the modification or repeal oJ the statue would come from tho commercial and The mooting was called to order at aeon. Tho chairman told of the move by the Union Chamber of Commerce la getting tho meeting together. William M. Otis of Columbia, presi? dent of tho Columbia Lumber A Man? ufacturing company, was elected choirraan. The vice chairman and secretary elected were B. P. McLeod of Charleston and A. O. Kennedy of Unit?, respectively. A. V. Snell. secretary of the Char lestoa Chamber of Commerce, sug? gested thai representstlvee from Verl? ane sections state their views on the business situation created by the antl compact saw. He also said that the speeches should be limited to ten mtn> utes. The suggestions were put In I tha foim of e motion, which was carried without opposition. Cards were distributed to secure the names of ail oeleaates present. Mr. Otis said that the meeting was for the purpooe of hearing from the commercial Interests In regard to tht Ingeraace situation Julius H Well, a wholesale mer? chant, shearman of the Charleston del? egation, said that many of tho small? est Interests of dally life are affected by |he low. "We have bom almost j papje stricken at the withdrawal of the coot pen lee," he deelsred. He said that unleee satisfactory Insurance col !*mral could be srranged bankers would be forced to call In loans that tend to put now solvent firms In see said that the same applied to other money lenders. He I argued that the law should be amend? ed to, pejeodt tta comnaMtt to ntur*. He said. that tka, "people are not yet ?roused.' but that they will soon be? gin to aak questions of those responsi? ble for the enaotroent of the law. He also pointed out the loea of tftati and municipal revenue. I J. D. Evans of Florence said that la couuoll meeting Information had been gl von that a ItO.ouo loar. had bean withdrawn; ha also oited other smaller instances, ail resulting from tho withdrawal of the companion. He believed that the people of Floj<ence are in doubt aa to the couree 1o be pursued but felt that the criaia hat not yet been reached. Mr, Evans aug , footed th > circulation of petitioni tor aa extra session if the sentiment, of the ?Ute warranted it. "York oounty favors the abolition of the 8. E. U. A., hut a less strin? gent law," said W. B. Moore, who said that he thought a great deU of tho present situation la "stage fright" and that Ue himself had no fears He did not want an extra, session of the legislature called hut wanted to see a liberal Interpretation of the la<*. George H. Edwards of Darlinirton pointed out that tho large, risks and special Interests would have little trouble In getting Insurance but that the small Insurers would feel the ef? fect of tho law most He called at? tention to the building and loan as? sociations, before whom a small in? surer can only place hit moral char? acter, his brain and brawn, as col? lateral. He was applauded as he touched on the ways tho law afflict? ed the small Insurer who owns a small home. The mutuals can not handle one-hundredth of the insur? ance," he declared; 'that view la visionary." Mr. Edwards said that the meeting would show the senti? ment of tho business interests. Charles O Hearon of Spartanbu rg, editor of the Spart&nburg Herald, said that the directors of his Cham? ber of Commerce had taken no ac? tion, first wanting "light." "There la a division of sentiment," he declar? ed, "and there am two sides." :tie told of tho many views heard by newspaper men. He elao aald that mutual companies could not handle the business and that the experience with such companies la ftpartanburg county hod heap unsatisfactory. r. D. Blaght of Hartavllle aald that he felt a number of people are pleased with the abolition of tile a E. U. A. He suggested the a.p potatment ef a committee to oonfwr with the companies. Joel a Moree of Abbeville aald that his section Is "awakening and aroused." "If the companies cancel their risks the town of Abbeville will be bankrupt;" said Mr. Morse, who pointed out that three agencies he knew of had been put out of business. He aald that aia building and loan association would have to go out of business if it could get no insurance. Legare Walker of Summerville, a n attorney, spoke of the farmer, "who always suffers when the legialatura, goes wild on some scheme." He said that this meeting Is somewhat prema ? ture and pre*Noted that when tho measure touched the ?'armor no tue ceedlng iegi??i t ? juld enact such drastio legU "What arc 16 aces of land and several buildings without Insurance worth?" Mr. Walker asked, as he told of his experience In refusing a loan of $1,000. "If those Insurance companies thought they could continue businesi they would not have withdrawn," he asserted. "It speaks well for the in? telligence of the State that no appli? cations have been made by South Carolinians to form companies. The old line companies have lost money and it stands to reason that we people can not make money." "I do not think that Mr. McMaster and the governor should attempt to construe the law; the courts ars here for that purpotie. Mr. Walker said that the agents' commissions Irom those companies that have already withdrawn amount to 9100,000 s year.' "Unless something la 'done the farmer will'suffer," he declared. B. F. McLeod of Charleston said that the margin of profit of Insurance companies in South Carolina was so amall aa not to Induce Investments. Mr. McLeod said that he waa assured of the withdrawal of 68 companies, which in 1914 wrote about $158.000, 000 of insurance. Mr. McLeod sttd that sn extra ses? sion would coot about 940.000 and that the repeal of the anti-compact 'law would offaet thla expenditure. He 'pointed out the loases to municipali? ties. "Ws need all the credit we can get," aald Mr. McLeod. "and we need Insurance protection." He said that Without Inaurance, credit would be greatly restricted. j A. T. Smythe. an attorney of Char? leston, took up the brokerage featuro of Inauranco, pointing out the legal procedure of auiag a company not licensed In thla ?t?te, whenever the company disputes a olaim. He aald also that after April 1 the Inaurance la forow would not be under the au pervlalon of any one In tbla State; he said that the companies might cancel. F. H. McMaster, insurance commis? sioner, was requested to address the meeting. He said that he was not a politician and was without political ambition; he said that he was not per? sonally interested financially in Insu? rance. He said that in 1909 he was present? ed with a bill to drive out the 8. E. U. A., but was undecided; similar measures were presented to him in fol? lowing years, but these, too, he put aside. He said that the 1912 bills ."killed by the Insurance companies," 'provided for competition. He told of the bills Introduced through him in 1915, the bill of the National conven? tion of insurance commissioners. "I had absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Laney's bill." he declared. "His bill and my bill were considered at tho same time; my bill was reported fa? vorably and was not, I think, opposed by the agents. The Laney bill con? tained a provision contradictory to my own, to which I had become con? verted only after mature thought I was accused of fa\oring the S. E. U. A. by my bill; who fought that bill? Senator McLaurin, the independent companies of Greensboro and others fought that bill. It provided that I every company licensed in thla State oln a rating bureau, j "The Laney bill, much to my sur? prise, passed the senate almost with? out opposition; It had been reported without recommendation. The house by an unprecedented action referred the Laney bill to the committee on agriculture and took it away from the committee on banking and Insurance. "There has been a continual effort to put the 8. E. U. A. out of the State," Mr. Mc Master said. "The companies did not withdraw before, why do they do so now? If the bill, I told the governor, did away with t he irritation against the S. E. U. A. It I would serve a good purpose." Mr. MoMaater told of the matter A insurance In the courts. Mr. McMas? ter went into a discussion of the pro* \1slons of the bill, reiterating his state? ment of Friday in construing the act. "I do not pretend to make insur? ance rates," said Mr. MoMaater, who pointed out that no company could be forced to Insure a risk. He went into the difference in rates given by the F. I. A. and the 6. E. U. A. "No In? surance commissioner can declare a rate unjust without comparing II with rates on similar hazards," he said. He defended the anti-rebate feature, com? paring it with the similar provisions, I section 898, of the criminal code, re? garding life Insurance. Mr. McMaster said that local ageuts could get together to determine lhe method of payment of premiums on essentially the same hazards. Thla construction of tho law was question? ed by Mr. Walker. Mr. McMaster said that many companies took the moral hazard into consideration. Mr. McMaster said that it is "too early in the game to know where we are." j Mr. McMaster denied having any? thing to do with the provision ax? le mp ting thf warehouse commission from the act. j He pointed out that hie under? standing Is that the companies will be allowed to adjust losses without I embarrassment in the performance of (their legal contracts after April 1. He said that he had taken up the matter with the attorney general. "Mr. McLaurin will have to spea.lt for himself," said Mr. McMaster? on I being asked about tho warehouse commissioner's promise to care for all insurance ... "Mutual insurance properly man? aged, is about the cheapest kind," said Mr. McMaster, who said, how? ever, that he did not know what all Insurers are going to do. E. H. Poulnot of Charleston, a merchant, brought up the question of mercantile risks. U was pointed out that mutuals take only certain selected risks. ' Mr. McLeod moved the appoint? ment of. a committee of five.to pre.-, paro a resolution to represent the sentiment of the meeting. Chairman Otis asked for. nomina? tions to the committee. The follow? ing were nominated: A T. Smythe, Legare Walker, W. B. Moore, of York, George H. Edwards of Durhngton and Mr. Otis. The meeting ordered a recess at 2:50 o'clock until 3:45 o'olock. On convening in the afternoon the resolution quoted elsewhere in this connection was presented. R. B. Holser of Sumter, a member of the legislature, spoke agalst the resolution, saying that he objected to ths phrase designating the bill as inimical to the business and farming Interests. He said that the legisla? ture did not pass "snap Julgment" on the measure. He maintained that the resolution should not be passed without further consideration. "We do not know how far the in? fluence of the 8. B. U. A. extends/' said Mr. Heiser, "and if WO gjvo in to them now wo will forever be in tbe.r grip." He argued that the action of the legislature followed the actlors of the 8. E. U. A. "We would be tho laughing stock of the United State"*" declared Mr. Belser, "if we cante back here in the near future to repeal what we re? cently enacted." Mr. Belser was continually inter? rupted; several efforts were made to call for the resolution, but on motion Mr. Belser was given his full time. The resolution was passed on a di? vision vote, Mr. Belser alone oppos? ing It Conference to Be Permanent. The resolution passed was as fol? lows; Representative* of commercial bodies In South Carolina, at a confer? ence yesterday In Columbia, adopted almost unanimously resolutions, as follows, drafted by a committee con? sisting of William M. Otis of Colum? bia, chairman; A. T. Smytho of Char? leston, Legare Walker of Summer* ville, W. B. Moore of York and Qeo. H. Edwards of Darlington: "Resolved, That the temporary of? ficers of this meeting be made per? manent, and that they shall be ex offlclo members of a permanent com Imlttoe of five, the two other members to be appointed by the chair, and that I this committee be, and is hereby charged with the duty of carrying into effect the plan contemplated by I these resolutions : "Resolved, further, That it is the sense of this meeting that the act passed at the last session of the legis? lature In reference to insurance, known as the Laney-Odom bill, is Ini? mical to the business and farming in? terests of this State and to the proper development thereof, and that some I concerted action should be taken at once, looking to the consideration of the same. "Resolved, further, That the chair appoint one person In each county In this State and the person appointed be charged with the duty of providing for a Joint meeting of the business In? terests, commercial bodies, farmers and legislative delegation at his coun? ty seat at fhe earliest date possible, with a view of having such joint meet? ing carefully discuss the present sit ! uation and suggest some appropriate remedy therefor. Readlved, further, That the said committee in their discretion shall have the right and is hereby Invested with authority to confer with such State officers as they may deem proper, In the exercise of their duties under these resolutions, and further to I submit/ the question to such attorneys as they may see fit to pass upon end advise them as to the legality of the said act and the propriety of lnstitut ina; such action as may be advisable to test?he constitutionality and vali? dity of 1me same." I MA YES VILLE ELECTION NEAR. No Candidate* Are Forthcoming, However?Baptist Charge Growing ?Coiisiderabie Fertilizer Coming in Mayesville, March 14.?The annual town election is fast approaching, the I date being set for Monday, April 3. The books of registration have been I open for several weeks and most of the qualified electors have enrolled. So far, thcro have been no announce? ments by candidates for any of the places on council but there will prob? ably be a number of candidates out before the lists are closed on March 27, one week before the election. This year there will be no nominating convention as has been customary in the past for this old form of nominat? ing was abandoned last year. The candidates will now come out them? selves and run in a primary. While Mayor Womble has made no state? ments, it is thought that he will offer for reelection. He is a most popular citisen and will be hard to beat if he decides to ask for another term. The Baptist congregation which is {growing under the pastorate of its popular minister, the Rev. J. W. Guy, will hold an Interesting service on next Thursday evening in connection with the regular prayer meeting when the newly-elected deacons will be In? stalled. The pastor will be assisted on this occasion by Dr. John A. Brunson and the Rev. W. E. Thayei of Sumter, which will add much in? terest to the services. The deacons to be installed are: S. W. Wheeler, F. J. Bass, T. B. Fort, S. W. Pringle. Quite a lot of fertiliser Is being shipped here and hauled out by the larger planters although at one time It was said that there would be little or none used. However, the quantity used hereabouts will be considerably reduced. The farmers are steadily at work getting ready for planting. The usual large acreage In grain will be sowed and about the same acreage In cotton as was put in last season. The lumber nldustry is flourishing ip this section at present. A larger amount Is being shipped from here than In a number of years. Two ex? tensive tracts of timber, the Mc Hrlde and tho Witherspoon tracts, are being cut now. Trains from the Seaboard Air Line main line passed through Sumter to? day, being detoured by here between Hamlet and Columbia because of the burning of u trestle over Lynches river, SMIIH INTRODUCES BILL. TO AUTHORIZE THE WITHDRAW? AL OP WATER POWER PLANTS. Would Allow Manufacture of Nitrate* and Other Fertilizers?Measure Brought Before Senate is Consider? ed as One of Prime ksiportanoc. Washington, March 12.?Senator E. P. Smith introduced the following bill to authorize the designation and with? drawal of water power sites and the j construction of water power and other plants by the United States for the manufacture of nitrates, and other products useful in the composition of fertilizers and munitions of war: "lie it enacted by the senate and houae of representatives of the United States in congress assembled, j That the president, at any time, in his discretion, may, by executive or? der, designate, for the exclusive use of the United States, any site upon a navigable river, the improvement of which for purposes of navigation will make available at such site surplus water power over and above the needs for navigation. After being so desig? nated, and until the designation is modified or revoked, and for the pur? poses authorized by this act. "Section 2. The president may also, at any time, in his discretion, with? draw from settlement, location, sale or entry; and reserve for the exclusive use of the United States, including the " territory of Alaska, whether within- national forests or other re? servations or withdrawals, which are valuable as water power sites for the purposes of this act or which contain limestone, phosphate, coal, or other minerals or materials needed for the production of nitrates, or other pro? ducts, * as contemplated in this act "Section 3. The secretary of agri? culture is authorized and directed to investigate, and to recommend for designation, or withdrawal, such dam sites, water power sites, and mineral or other lands, as in his opinion will be necessary for carrying out the purposes of this act and is further authorized to construct maintain, and operate; at or on any site so designat? ed Or withdrawn, dams, locke, other improvements to navigtation, power houses, and other plants and equip? ment necessary or convenient for the generation of electrical or other pow? er and for the production of nitrates or other products useful in the manu? facture of fertilizers and; munitions of war: Provided, That all plans and specifications for dams in navi? gable rivers shall be Submitted to and approved by the secretary of war, "Section 4. The secretary of agri? culture is authorized to lease, pur? chase, or acquire by condemnation, gift or device, such lands and rights of way as may be necessary for the construction and operation of such plants and to take from any lands of the United States or to purchase or acquire by condemnation, materials and minerals necessary for the con? struction or operation of such plants and for the manufacture of such pro? ducts. "Section 5. The products of such plants shall be subject to requisition by the secretary of war or tho secre? tary of the navy for military or naval purposes, and any surplus not so re? quisitioned may be sold and disposed of by the secretary of agriculture un? der such regulations as he may pre? scribe. "Section 6. The sum of fifteen mil? lion dollars is hereby appropriated, out of any moneys In the treasury not otherwise appropriated, available un? til expended, to enable the secretary of agriculture to carry out the pur? poses of this act." Explaining his bill, Senator Smith said: "One of the objects of my bill is to give the government the power to be absolutely Independent of private cor? porations in time of need for the mu? nitions of war. It takes away from private corporations the temptations to use their influence to instigate war, if by war the commodities which they manufacture will be in great demand and at high prices. On the other hand, it will enable the government to sup? ply the elemental need of the farm, the prime essential to all successful agriculture, fertilizer for the soil. "There is nothing that the govern? ment can do which will give as imme? diate return as furnishing an adequate supply of fertilizer ingredients at the lowest possible cost. It will not only tend to lower the cost of living, but it will tend to liberate the farmers of the country from absolute dependence upon certain organized fertilizer com? panies. I do not believe that all of the government's aid to agriculture approximates the possibilities of this bill. "Of course, I do not intend to min? imize the benefits that would accrue to the government and through the government to all of the people, by furnishing, as my bill contemplates, an adequate supply of materials for the munitions of war. I am heartily in favor of the government having its own factories for the manufacture of armor plate f^r the protection of her NITROGEN FROM ATMOSPHERE. Big Fixation Plant at Odda, Norway. Reveals Process on Large Scale. Chrl8tiania. March 13 (Correspond ence of The Associated Press).?The process of withdrawing nitrogen from the air for use in manufacturing arti? ficial fertilizers and high explosives may be seen in operation at the new ?0,000 horsepower plant at Odda, in the Hardanger Fiord. The separation of the nitrogen from the oxygen In the air Is accom? plished by compressing the air into liquid form. The nitrogen, which boils first at about 320 degrees below ' zero (Fahrenheit), Is led away by specially constructed mains, and the oxygen, which boils at about 295 be? low, is utilized on account of Its In? tensely low temperature, to assist In the liquefaction process. Ultimately it escapes into the air again. The nitrogen gathered in this man? ner is put into form for use by com? bining it with calcium carbide, a sub? stance known to practically every automobillst owing to its offensive odor. Carbide is mad* by fusing limestone and coal In the intense heat of an electric furns.ce. The operation can only be performed where elec? tricity is very cheap. ^v~hen carbide Is heated In an atmosphere of nitro- " gen it absorbs the nitrogen, forming a compound known as nitrollm. This is the new fertilising product which Norway is now producing- on a whole? sale scale. The power for the gigantic Odda plant is furnished by the nearby waterfalls. The lime end coal are fused together in a serien of furnaces each employing 3,000 horsepower. All the pyrotechnics of a steel furnace are eclipsed when one of the great Odda . crucibles is tapped, for the molten carbide pours forth with a glare that no man dare face with unprotected eyes. Meanwhile the production of the ni? trogen is being pursued in another de? partment. Air for the purpose is drawn in great inlet pipes from the mountain tops. Thie was found nec? essary because the air in the valley ( around the great works was found to contain traces of acetylene gaa from the carbide. Acetylene gas under presure is dangerously explosive, and even a trace of it in the liquefaction plant would be likely to cause the destruction of the entire plant. The nitrogen from the liquefaction plant is turned into cylinders filled with powdered carbide, which are heated from the centre by the passage of an electric current through a piece of carbon, and as the temperature rises the carbide absorbs the nitro* gen and glows with the heat el chemical action. The result Is nitro? llm, the artificial substitute for nit? rates and natural fertilizers, and the starting point of another process for ths production of nitric acid and cer? tain high explosives. The Newe From Egypt. Egypt, March 14.?Everything has been extremely quiet in Egypt for some time. Lagrippe has been keep? ing the doctors busy almost ever since Xmae. Nearly everybody In this community has had it, or has it now. Most of the farmers have about finished breaking their lands for an? other crop. Very little fertilizer has been hauled yet. The Indications are that there will be but very little used. Nearly all the farmers here have de? cided that they have been working for guano factories long enough. I nev? er have seen the people here at? tempting to make so much home? made fertilizers before. Mr. and Mrs. Sam Folk of Provi? dence visited Mr. and Mrs. M. W. McCaskill, the latter's parents, last week. Mr. J. W. Weldon has gone to Blsh opvllle to attend court today. Misses Luclle and Wylepe Brltton of Camden visited Mrs. F. G. Peeblee yesterday. Messrs. J. K. Richbourg, W. T. Mc Leod and L. H. White spent Saturday In Camden. Mr. M. W. Seebrook and Dr. Lee of Sumter were in this vicinity recently. Miss Maud Attaway of the Ionia school spent the week-end with her parents at Spring Hill. Mr. Arthur Nettles of Lugoff spent the week-end with friends here. Supt. J. T. r.I'innerlyn, of Blshop vllk, accompanied by his mother, spent yesterday with friends here. Marriage License Record. A license to marry has been issued to A. C. Cooper, Sumter. and Mattle Montgomery, St. Charles, colored. battleshlpH and other necessary ves? sels. My bill simply completes the operation by seeking to furnish the nocessary munitions to put these ships into the proper action. "The amendment which I secured to the present federal reserve act largely solves the problem of credit, or ready money, as a loan to the farmer. This bill now will help in? crease his bank account by reducing the cost of the prime essential In farming and increasing the products of the farm."