No Insurance Cover On Wahine Losses

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31658, 19 April 1968, Page 14

No Insurance Cover On Wahine Losses

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, April 18. Survivors of the Wahine disaster who lost personal possessions in the wreck cannot claim from their insurance companies—unless they held permanent or temporary goods-in-transit policies.

Even householders’ "comprehensive” policies which insure such things as furniture and personal effects—will not cover passenger possessions that went down with the ship. An Auckland survivor who lost about $3OOO worth of personal possessions which were packed in his car. said that his insurance company had told him that he could expect “absolutely nothing” from them. “I had a householder’s comprehensive policy, but this has proved useless in the circumstances,” he said. “It covers damage by fire —but not by floods, storm or tempest And the Wahine dis-

aster has been classified as the latter. “Oddly enough, had my car been struck by a thunderbolt while travelling on the open deck of a freighter I could probably have claimed up to 15 per cent of the value of the contents. This is because thunderbolts and lightning are classified as *fire hazards'.” Spokesmen for a large insurance company were today telling claimaints from the Wahine that insurers were not liable for goods lost in the wreck unless passengers had taken special goods-in-transit coverage. “The man. who lost $3OOO worth of personal possessions in the wreck could have got a week’s special in-transit coverage for about $15," said one insurance man. Union Step The Union Steam Ship Company seemed unaware that householders’ comprehensive policies left Wahine survivors completely unprotected. “We did not know that—our claims department will have to make further investigations,” said a company official. Survivors who have in-

quired from the Union Company about compensation for loss of property are being told: “There is nothing to stop you submitting a claim.” Beyond that, company spokesmen declined to comment Passengers who lost cars in the 'Wahine say that their insurance claims seem—so far —to be going through in the normal manner.