SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

Evening Star, Issue 11676, 7 February 1902, Page 3

SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

WELLINGTON, February 6. final selection of the 129 men from the Wellington district was made to-night, and the chosen candidates are to leave Wellington on Saturday, at 10 a.m., by tiie Hinemoa, to go into camp at Penrose. There were no fewer than 804 applications for the 129 places in the ranks. The men are of a better physical stamp than those in the Eighth, as the doctors report that the percentage of rejects was only fifteen, as against 38 per cent, amongst the men for the Eighth. On this occasion there were very few cases of “smoker’s heart,” which caused some trouble when the previous lot of men was being selected. The number of applications for commissions in the Ninth Contingent is larger t even than the number sent in for the Bth. It is said that the applications total something li£e 500, In the course of his defence of insurance companies before the Commercial Conference this morning, Mr Keith Ramsay (a director of the National Insurance Company) said he believed that at the present moment the companies contemplated making a reduction of the rates in certain places. Every insurance company in New Zealand last year lost in (he North Island twice as much as they made there. The demand for the foot-warmers imported by the Railway Department was very great last winter, and tin order for an additional supply, to reach the colony about two months hence, has been sent to London. The financial results attending the experiment of running a daily train between Wellington and New Plymouth have proved satisfactory to live Railway Department, which Las therefore decided to continue rfio service throughout the winter, even if the Union and the Northern Steamship Companies can-- out their decision of some months back to revert to their weekly steamers during the winter. Speaking at the Conference of the Chambers of Commerce to-day Mr Duthie said no duobt much of the business done by the New Zealand insurance companies was done at an excessive cost, and, while the insurers were powerless to interfere, yet they had to pay for it. He could not see how the business of the companies could be effectively carried on without combination and a tariff, but the number of fires that had occurred during the last two years in New Zealand was a scandal. It pointed to incendiarism, ami showed that insurance was being conducted without regard to ordinary business saie<guards. Competition was keen, and there was no proger examination of the risks, and the losses went ,n. Even now it might he. found that the Fire Conference sitting in Wellington was intent on raising rates. He had no sympathy wi.:h State fire insurance, but if the companies did not alter their methods we would have to get legislation to have the risks properly assessed. The companies, by accepting ruinous risks, were jeopardising the public safety by offering an incentive to incendiarism.