A VISITOR'S VIEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3648, 26 January 1899, Page 6

A VISITOR'S VIEWS.

COMMERCIAL AND I OTHER PROSPECTS OF WELLINGTON. AN INTERVIEW WITH-MR L. ROSE • JAGGAR. ■ Mr L. Rose Jaggar, the general manager for Australasia of the Manchester Fire Assurance Company, who is now ona visit to Now Zealand for tlio two-fold purpose of recruiting his health and inspecting the. Company’s branches and agencies in this colony, was good enough to discuss general topics with a member of our staffi The Manchester Fire Assurance Company 'bcgau. operations in Now Zealand,.about six years-ago, and by a judicious selection of its risks, lias ixianaged to maintain its position in the colony, - and do a fairly safe and profitable business. “Of course,Mr Jaggar ; acknowledged, “ we suffered with the other companies, but, relatively to the Others, we were not so unfortunate.- Our’ business has been somewhat exclusiye. We have withdrawn from certain towns that possess a bad fire record, and so kept ' ourselves clear of undue losses.” , ; . “ Do you think the underwriters are demanding a fair premium rate for fire risks ?” asked the interviewer. “ I .suppose,” replied Mr - Jaggar, you in common with other New Zealand pee-: pie,. naturally conclude that with State fire insurance-held over us as a threat, I j would - ‘ be dubious about answering such. a question, but' I unhesitatingly sav that in the face of the heavy burdCnsan the shape of losses which the companies have been called upon to bear, the-rates are not high enough in. New Zealand. There arej certain ways in-which the Government and the municipalities could help to lesson the cost,, -other than by constantly advocating State and municipal fire insurance. Take the case of Wellington. In' my opinion the whole of Wellington will have .to be re-built before you can ioqk. for .lower rates than those now ruling; that is to 1 say, the more important thoroughfares where" there is an aggregation, of ‘omnibus risks/' will some day be swept away by fire.” _ . . 1 ■An “omnibus risk” is a sample or insurance phraseology with which our representative is unfamiliar, .and upon acknowledging his ignorance on the subject, Mr Jaggar; explained that in an omnibus the passengers were of a varied class, both - as regards' occupation and character. In a thoroughfare of retail shops the same thing was to be .found. “Walk up Willis street Lambton quay, or Cuba street.” said Mr Jaggar, “and you may go 150 or 1100 yards before you come to a. ‘ clean-risk.’ , -Therd are-a variety of shopsused for more or less risky businesses, from a fire insurance point of view. The tenants are always changing, and their ideas of, safe-guard-ing themselves vary. Some day you will have a fire, fanned by a favourable wind, which will make a clean sweep of one or the other of your main streets, which -are decidedly narrow. The buildings on either side would be at the mercy of such a fire.” ■ . The suggestion that Wellington nossossed -a very good water supply and a fairly efficient brigade did not seem to impress Mr Jsggar, wlio nui-inta-inod that the appliances of the brigade were inadequate for the size of the city, bearing in mind - also the large proportion of wooden buildings. He expressed the opinion that it . would bo desirable to adopt legislation such as existed in the other colonies for . the management and maintenance of fire brigades. Under the Fire Brigade Act, the municipality estimates the annual-cost of maintaining the brigades in an efficient state, both as regards men and material. . Towards this cost the' Corporation contributes one third, the Government one-third and the underwriter one-third, each contributor being entitled to two representatives on the governing body, with the Mayor for the time being as Chairman. Under these conditions the. representatives of the Underwriters, being practical men, have considerable influence with their colleagues on the board of management, and as may be well, imagined they take care that a sufficient number of well trained firemen are maintained and that the appliances for fire-extinguishing are ample and of the very best character. He did not think the companies trading in New Zealand would object to such an arrangement, and, speaking for his own company, he would certainly be glad to assist in such a measure of reform. . Mr Jaggar took the opportunity of inspecting the Manners street Fire Brigade Station, under the guidance of Act-ing-Captain Adams, and is of opinion that the plant .is insufficient for a city of wooden buildings like Wellington. He thinks' that a steamer is necessary for the . higher levels and that at least a dozen paid men should always be kept in readiness; That Wellington has.so far escaped

a wide-spread conflagration is no guarantee that such a catastrophe will not befall it in the near future and reasonablo precautions ought to be taken to cope with such an emergency. Everything depends, especially in wooden blocks, upon the celerity exercised by the fire brigade in getting to a fire. The present arrangements are shockingly primitive; it only requires a little unusual delay in the arrival of the brigade, favoured by a strong wind, to have the busiest portion of our city acres of cinders. Mr Jaggar is not altogether impressed with the aspect of the city. “ Wellington looks to mo to want a coat of paint. It looks dirty,” observed our visitor, but of its commercial supremacy tmd future prosnects bo speaks in admiration. Mr ■ Jaggar was in Wellington about three years ago, and is struck with the remarkable progress that has been made' in the interval. "The building trade,” Mr Jaggar,remarked, “ appears to have beau extremely active, and the expansion which is already to bo seen fully convinces mo that within the next decade .Wellington will be-, a , very wealthy and populous city. There are a. number of reasons why Wellington should not progress, but its geographical position, and convenient and accessible harbour make it the distributing centre for the colony, and the trade wliich must be focussed must push the pliico ahead.' I was struck with the vast possibilities of trade between Sydney and Wellington,' while coming across from Australia. Take my case. I loft Melbourne at 5.15 n.m. on Wednesday, spent two days'in Sydney and arrived in Wellington‘on the following Wednesday aftei’uoou. Had I chosen I might have left Melbourne on the Friday with the week’s work practically finished, and been here on Wednesday, a matter of'four Pays and a half. Tliis is an advantage that no other New Zealand town possesses, and it is an advantage that commercial men on the other side will soon begin to appreciate. But what you have got to remember is that Sydney is the commercial and shippine terminus of Australia ; you are within, four days’ journey of that important 'terminus, and Wellington is, or ought to be, the -terminus for New Zealand.' The connection between Sydney and Wellington requires. to bo fostered and developed. That'done, it is'.impossible! ' that your city can dp other than progress.” ' ; ' With- such ii, forcible .and flattering opinion ringing in Ins oars, our. reporter, alter thanking Mr Jaggar, withdrew.