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Show INSURANCE CASE ONE OF INTEREST The Southeastern Underwriters Association, an agency which represents rep-resents nearly 200 fire insurance companies, operating in Alabama, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, '' South Carolina and Georgia, is ' charged with conspiracy and mo-' mo-' nopoly under the Anti-Trust laws. I The United States Supreme court has agreed to review a decision of a Georgia Federal court that the companies and the association are not guilty because they are not engaged in "commerce" under the constitution. It is interesting to note that the Department of Justice alleges that in the period of 1931-40, fire insurance in-surance premiums in the states listed reached $436,000,000, but fire losses only aggregated $197,000,-000. $197,000,-000. For the year 1941, $52,000,000 was paid for fire insurance and fire losses were only $18,000,000. We have no disposition to prejudge pre-judge the case pending in the Federal Fed-eral court. Obviously, however, if the companies and their agencies are not engaged in "commerce" under the constitution, they are subject to the regulation of state ' agencies. It might be a good idea' for state officials to watch the progress of the case in the Federal court and, if the Supreme court leaves the companies to state regulation, make some investigation as to the facts alleged by the Department of Justice. |