State Fire Insurance and the Farmers' Union.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXII, Issue 6552, 22 April 1905, Page 2

State Fire Insurance and the Farmers' Union.

At a. meeting of the executive of the North Canterbury Farmers' Union in Christchurch on Wednesday, the manager of the State Fire Insurance Department wrote that arrangements had been made for the State Office to take excess lines from the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Association. A letter was also received from the Otago Farmers' Mutual Insurance Association on the matter, and Mr Pram, of that Association, attended and stated that politics did not enter into tha question. They had the offer of good business to deal with the State Office, and ought to take every advantage of it. It was very magnan iraons on the part of the Stal;e Department, for it was realised it was merely a question of time before the Mutual Association would find its feet. Mr Wilkinson, manager of the local branch of the State Fire Insurance Department, was also present, and stated that the Government had come to the rescue of the Farmers' Union Mutual Association, by taking its excess rates. Mr Leadley, a member of the Union Executive, said the State Office was going to become a very popular institution. It had the elements of success, but he was afraid that after a while it would make the rates too low for profit. He feared it would do the same as it did in regard to accident insurance, and join the associated companies and put the rates up again. Another member thought the time inopportune to start a Farmers' Mutual Association in Canterbury, if the associated companies intended to continue reducing rates. It was decided to take the matter into consideration at a future meeting.