Show J E CAINE TESTFJES BEFORE THE BOARD OF POLICE AND FIRE COMMISSIONERS Says Insurance Rates Are Lower Now Than Any Time During the Past Three Years Never Heard Insurance Men Question Devines Competency The Devine investigation was resumed re-sumed by the fire and police board last evening It was a very abbreviated abbrevi-ated and tame session in comparison to some of those which have been en rmrinp the attention of the commis sion and the community In general Lack of real interest was made by the failure of Captain Donovan to appear It had been expected that the doughty fire fighter might have some clever things to impart No other witnesses were in attendance except J E Caine the insurance agent Mr Caines examination ex-amination did not have much direct bearing on Devines case being mainly a dissertation on fire rates When the board was called to order a few minutes past 8 oclock Commissioners Commis-sioners Dininny Cohn and Grant were present Mr Noble telephoned that he was indisposed and would not be there The board surveyed the commission com-mission chamber and discovered no one but J E Caine Chief Devine and two newspaper men and as the point had not yet been reached when Devine was to speak in his own behalf Caine was called to testify as to the intimation of Captain Donnell that insurance rates had been raised INSURANCE RATES LOWER Commissioner Cohn asked him regarding re-garding present condition of rates His reply was that rates were lower today than they had been for the past three years and particularly on larger buildings citing the Hooper block as an Instance Asked by Commissioner Dininny if he was a member of the board of fire underwriters he admitted that he was one of the executive board and took occasion to add that at no time since the installation of Chief Devine had his competency been discussed by any member of the board within his hearing hear-ing This was the substance of Mr Caines remarks Other repetitions of the foregoing questions were asked but no further information was elicited Captain Donovans nonappearance cut the session short After finishing with Caine the board adjourned until tomorrow evening at the same hour of meeting |