FIRE INSURANCE.

Evening Star, Issue 4967, 3 February 1879, Page 1

FIRE INSURANCE.

Tnerr are certain topics of bngin'eSa im-Y portance which it becomes, the. 4iity M Press from time ultimo to'/advert to/rttit ; hs any means with the ideal of moral at any particular -trjmßactioft-dr'o&'ar-' rence, but rather for the purpose of sent themselves in the way ef equitable,and •*’ 'economic arrangements-in . the of risks and mutual inter-relihrice which 'ate so closely iriterWoyen-Wtengh Wfe.fiwh6le.‘S .social fabric- and 'are amongst'''the most valuable fruits of modern mrilisarion.y c AYere all men and .honest -tfietS ■wheels .of that- great and -.coWpliWted. machine; which is designated We ? world. . would run ♦yefy- 'Smoothly/, indeed. .’ThdC calculations-, of the banker'and actuary,.,: if • nOt ■ always Whose of . ; -the ■' merchant/ ‘ “would come' Out- to a ‘a . great deal of ; labor > wOuld' bn and "honest people would" get -fclieir ; - : work done.--, .very considerably cheaper,” -frnfbrttindWly,' ; .i ' however, Were £rer, ■ Weep, ‘ flock, more and? spnlfetiniek ; lefeii £ * * and for the delinquency;:on rathet'thp delm- • qiient chatocter .of theses the .great majointy who, we need scarcely say are.Vaccbrdmg 1 ;! te our illustration;; white, .have ‘te'ipayi ~ We havh : thought .proper te fprfeface these few remarks a few. ;wordß '-wn havek‘ W * say .upon the subject ■of -fire' insurance' i words which we" intend to Ire of gOttert.l significance, not being aware, indeed, of any special case. fn t)unedih ; to - ivhicli; f W6yF would : apply' in - ; n? ) v tenle.* The principles of fire iasuthhee aresbWdll?/ understoodas■ du-dly >te. .■ forth. Small contributions are gathered frbm a large number: pf.'persons in-nydoir.'to pro- , yhle-a -fund _ayailabfe f .tp r recoup- /ndiyiduaL. losses from the accidents fif® It is evident; ati Ohcey Wat We companies- who Undertake, this, must base tlieir calculations- upon , a correcto system of average's,-■le'd■vdrig,■ 'mofeo\W^/a•veiy,^. , fcohsideWble. margin to-Wbete great casualties:? Wf\c.hyer rune.of Wat We administratiOfl "must be -sbunfl'an'dr"' reliable in order id'/aybid' W'e covering “ :^o^^^^ {! °\tiS6f(''ndti , ' i o% affept the • particular. disturbing the community at la^el'* paiiiea may ; to the public, or diteetly the reverse., accordwKicli they c@nducted,-, jand (a grpfit deal would «eeinb to depend tha,agents and good sense of the directors jn valuing 1 Wife servicesbf their agbnta 1 raWef and character of““We business they poture , by mere number and amount .of:ttid^plici^r. In Were is temptation and 1 accept, risks mationa,state,pf and diagnosed, by, persons . dishonestly inclined, of by tho.se .w}iOj moral principle, may even flc-leffTiAo actual dishonesty jby.the: temptation afforded.. The notorious fafet that doespoccur, but.that very,mimy; accountable in their ,origiu . e.xcept upph,'Wis ' hypothesis, leads -te^Wer7direet-^iiTt; r all who ii«ure have to’ pay;ra<cs.<\vh)Qh''CQVgp„ the additional risk, and the premiums probably- very considerably? higher than they would T require- to be were fires to be attributed to ■ accident alone.- -This-is—one-view of the case which cdmesWomeito every insurer, and which no - We representatives of, the. insurance;-companies in this city will admit to. be. correct, -■ ’Cables in the acceptance 1 of risks'is. naturally the evils of kebnPpmpetitionj'flut.it'is something more War,a mlschiejE W We'compktdr which ,has covered such riWs—ifc Is ah lutely a danger to We community,' (and who shall say that Wis hks notresultfed ?)1 have involved most; disastrous s consequences 7 to persons who are in ho way/connected with We. foul play. to ;which ;it-has/affect tendency to lead.. - The incendiary.'whb hindleg We fire cannot, even ; if he could do so, con-* fine the - flames to his own premises, ; neighbors may be burntoiit and ruined, valua-L able property destroyed—there mayWp eyear jloss of life. Morally responsible-for all this-isl is-tbe insurance-bgeii'fc His te force business, has" neglected to ascerffiid With proper accuracy the value of the build-* ingsprstofckon which.; lie takes-'the’risk, ■and . has jumped- at ,an insuWf •ordinary inquiry as to - character ah,^'means / Wilfully blind perhaps tp; mercial antecedents.: ; , Unfortunately3acendiarism is a crime’exceedingly to substantiate; y-The daifuSing: proofs; in. most instances, .consumed in: Wb it is rather the policy of the 'agent - -toS hush matters up than to prosecute: in ’the fa'ceiof almost a certain breakdown. Thefeafofpuriishbe considered jh/Jp^errent,.,the, extreme uncertainty *of"the- crime- : beihg^hg'eted : 'home fenders the offender regardless of the possibleconsequences entailed by ad>onviction. The dangers .to be ajtfoae or careless manner insurance business being thus evident, in whit direction is remedy in: the way :of prevention-ter-tbe/looked • for.? -The iusuxance scoorpanij&l themselves can of course do a great deal-. ri£v has been suggested, • for .instance, 1 : risks* taken should hot assurhSe to cover ! total 'value.. • More to;' the . point:, would be the general'adoption'pf^nsySV«hhb| :L ! inspection,, not only before policies''are 1 ' 1 effected, bpt in. We -case' of perishable anit ; mutable stock,’at various periods, indefiniteps 'to time, ; , This, . :; ve, ; believe,; lr is .! extent - adopted- by .morei 'than-) office.; To meet cases; dnsuspected’cases,,of.‘. incendiarism it has been ■ proposed that all" such cases should We at . once ’inquired-' into before We Resident Magistrate—the coronef’s. Inquest being. aWolished. as' anv exceed*•' iugly cumbrous and not particularly’ useful ' piece of machinery. Copies of the,, de-,' f positions would, then, under any circum- 1 stances as to the, decision, be available, and should be obtained by We insurance comP an i e s interested, and considered hot only irTthe view of guiding the companies in the matter of- again accepting such insurers, but also as to the competency and judgment of the agent who may have recommended the policy. This,-;.of:course,- .is a : question for Parliament, and possibly, not being of importance politically, will have to await the complete development-of -the Liberal policy, at.which happy period, if ever it does -afrive,. - there may be time to attend to somethingmore practical in the way of social legislation; than, the few technical measures of .last sessiop regarding which .the so plumed Hmseltin his recent address. 1

The * Churchman* says “-The- Bishop- * has "■Written to "the -ArchdeTacdii td-'sdy-'tha't: ' .he intends toleave England for Otago ness.'' > monthr 'He will - come either by the Sa-n Francisco or -.Suezroute, and may be^ei?- 5 * , pected in. Dunedin in, April. He has collected about L3OO towards the endowment of a. theological tutorship. ‘ 'ln a'letteFtOlr’A... H. Jack he says ; I was grieved with the course of as to Littleburn, andforamomentthbughtof many things. Other attractions dppreaentthemselves heres but I fully Believe that 1 stall return’ God willing, and. pursue my work, perbpp&with less effort for the immediate development of church work,'' but with • less disposition to rely, upon the 'loyalty of- ’others.’—Two students of ; St, -Augustilae’s ' College, bury, England, Twill arrive in Otago dn tho 1 course of the present year to work in < this diocese. One—a married man, and ordained —was to leave last December ; the- other -r-single, and not yet ordained-—next June. ■ A movement is on foot to have a clergyman at Cromwell.” -w sis

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