The Hawera Star. SATURDAY, MAY 21, 1927. INSURANCE RATES IN HAWERA

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 21 May 1927, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 1927. INSURANCE RATES IN HAWERA

Delivered every evening by 5 o'oiook in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, AU.»n Hurley ville, Patea, Waveriey, Mokoia, Whakamara, Ohangai, Meremere. Frasei Road and Ararata

Owners of borough property who look forward to the time when fire insurance rates will be reduced will be gratified to learn that the seed sown bv the Hawera Chamber of Commerce over ten months ago is now showing signs of bearing fruit. It may be yet too early to conclude that the borough, which is at present listed under the fire underwriters’ D and F table, will be placed under the A and B tariffs, as requested by the chamber, but after waiting for the greater part of a year, the chamber has at last received a visit from representatives of the Underwriters’ Association, and that in itself is an achievement which

demonstrates that .the interest of the insurance firms has been aroused by the proposition put forward by the businessmen of this town. The grounds of Hawera’s claim for more favourable treatment by the insurance companies were very ably advanced by the report brought down by the special committee of the chamber last August and we are confident that they will carry weight with the underwriters in their further consideration of the question now that their representatives have had an opportunity of investigating them for themselves. Though the meeting this week between the underwriters and members of the chamber was in committee and the details of the discussion which took place between the two bodies are therefore not known to the public, it is known that the visitors made an inspection of the facilities which exist here for fire-fighting and, in consequence, there is every reason to be hopeful of the outcome. In view of Hawera’s past record and the manner in which future risks have been reduced by the provision of an adequate water supply and by bringing the firefighting appliances up to a high state of efficiency, it is difficult to understand why the borough has so long been relegated to a place in the companies tariff fates that compares unfavourably with such towns as New Plymouth, Timaru and Oamaru. Not one of those towns would appeal to the layman as offering such a “good risk” to an insurance company as does Hawera and though the underwriters may have, very good reasons, in the light of their expert and wider experience, for believing otherwise, in the absence of those reasons tne public has no other course open to it but to assume that Hawera is occupying the place in the list of comparative risks which was allotted to it years ago, before the town had grown to its present proportions and had attained its present favourable position in respect of the construction of its buildings, and of the efficiency of such services as water supply, firefighting plant and fire alarm system. The borough area is compact and flat, the water supply is assured by three sources and the local fire brigades maintains the front rank position it has won in competition with the other fire-fighting units of the Dominion. In each of the other three towns mentioned the buildings are spread over a much wider area which, because it includes hills, is not so accessible to the brigade. In the case of one at least Oi the southern towns it would be news to us to learn that it had a fire-alarm system comparable with that in operation here and also that its plant was aS modern and as efficient as that which serves Hawera; it may be, however, that improvements have been wrought thqre of late which bring that town’s plant into line with other first-class brigades, but it is certain that the water pressure there, especially on the hills, is not nearly so satisfactory, nor the supply so certain as that which exists, in Hawera. In view of these facts and many others whicn doubtless the chamber took . full advantage of the underwriters’ presence to bring forward, the business people and property owners have very good reason for hoping that in the near future Hawera will rank among the towns Which figure in Table “A” of the underwriters’ tariff schedule.