LAVISH ODDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 190, 12 August 1937, Page 24

LAVISH ODDS.

FREAK INSURANCE.

TWINS AND TRIPLETS.

VOICES, HANDS AND LEGS.

SYDNEY. r Some of Sydney's radio announcers B have insured their voices. The leader of g a Sydney orchestra has insured his ;, hands. Prospective parents have insured * against having twins, and attractive J rates of £1343 to JEI are quoted for triplets. Brokers in Sydney say that they ) don't encourage freak insurance; but j despite this discouragement, they declare that freak insurance is on the increase. One of the strangest cases in Sydney , was a family that insured against their ( parents, both over 60, having any more children, said a member of one firm. The family was due to receive an interest under a will and in the event « of their parents having any more children they would not get any money until the youngest child reached the age of 21. ° , The premium on this strange policy , was £30 to £1000. The family virtu- » ally insured against the mother dyin* th « father remarrying and having J more children. ° Guarded Lone Eye. • Another strange case was that of a . man, blind in one eye, who insured him- . self against the loss of the other eye. s Prospective parents have been insured > i against twins at a premium of £3 on J every £ 100/ members of the firm said. . Family history is investigated before .policies are issued, as twins seems to i run in some families. Sportsmen are insuring themselves. The crews of 18-footers are covered against injury or death while they are in their boats. The firm are Lloyd's brokers and it is through Lloyd's in England that much freak insurance has been placed. Mr. T. M. Morgan, who has just j returned from England, said it was po«- i sible in England to insure against a horse falling over in a race. Golden Miller, a champion steeple- i chaser, was insured at a premium of i 12 per cent against falling over in the < Grand National. He fell. j One of the conditions was that the ' person insuring had to have a financial J interest in the horse. That meant i [placing a bet on the horse. ; Ballerinas and musical comedy stars insured their legs for fabulous sums. Famous singers insured their voices, and violinists and pianists their hands. Guitar players have insured a particular finger. Through Lloyd's, a man living in a European town insured against his pet jaguar biting anybody. The jaguar did ' bite, and it cost the company £400. 1 The members of a Mount Everest c expedition were insured against snow- ' blindness. "~ rl

Some of the Swiss chalets insure against not sufficient snow falling and are thereby able to advertise that visitors will be repaid their fares if there is not sufficient snow for skiing, Mr. Morgan continued.

Film companies insure against almost every contingency,,from death or injury to the star to the cameras failing. Royalties in Europe have insured against losing the revenue from their estates and their investments—virtually insuring their crowns or coronets.

Policies in England now insure prospective parents against having either twins or triplets.