FIRE LOSSES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 115, 7 February 1908, Page 6

FIRE LOSSES.

INSURANCE COMPANIES"BADLY HIT" LAST YEAR. (BY TELEOBArn—SrECIAL COR3ESPOKDENT.) i, Christchuroh, February 6. The destruction of the Farmers' tiv'o Association Stores at Timaru, involving a loss, estimated to ;amount to £80,000, gives point to some remarks niade to-day to a Press representative by an insurance manager. "We were all badly .'hit last year," he : said, "and we don't want to seo another year like it. The fire losses in Canterbury in 1907 \amounted to £119,000. As the next most disastrous period, in the last twenty' two years involved a total loss of £G4,000, you can form somo faint idea of, how we fared last yoar. It'will probably entail as actual net loss of nearly £50,000 to the com* . panics on thoir business transactions. -,In Canterbury, of course, the total wasi. swollen by some unusually big fires, such as that at the Raiapoi woollen factory, which [meant r loss of £41,000, and at the Belfast freezing works, where tbe loss was £22,000, but aU:, over tho province firos have been very numerous. We havo started badly this year, £56,000 being dropped by the companies over tJj* Tim*™ (Wyesterday.'' .