This condition
arose from the fact that the companies in the East hurried to San
Francisco and Oakland all the adjusters, both near and alleged, that
they could obtain from any portion of the United States and a few from
abroad, in order that the losses might be promptly taken care of. The
home offices saw to it that the funds were provided. The special agents
and field men of these offices were not disturbed in their usual work
and were rarely, if ever, made use of at headquarters to make
adjustments. With the California it was quite different. Our entire
field force was called in and promptly clothed with authority to adjust.
This left our agency plant entirely unprotected as to cultivation.
Financially, we were in such a crippled condition that we felt we could
not afford the expense of employing independent adjusters. These were a
luxury in any event and some of them, alas, would have been dear at any
price. The thought often comes that perhaps this policy was poor
economics. This was a golden opportunity for representatives of the
"dollar-for-dollar" companies to secure valuable agents, as carrying
capacity was in large demand to replace those companies that had either
failed or made unsatisfactory loss settlements.
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