Original Correspondence.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 827, 16 August 1864, Page 5

Original Correspondence.

THE STATE OF THE JETTY. (To the Editor of the Daily Times!;

Sir—ln,your local of the 12th you gave, a report of a foot race which took place on the New Jetty, and state-thafc the Jetty was in a filthy state, which statement I emphatically deny. On thafc morning, 730 o'clock a.m., there was a little water standing in the hollow parts of the wharf, but no filth whatever. . You also draw attention to-day to a letter on the ahomiiiable condition of the New Jetty. I request any one of the public who promenaded the wharf yesterday, or. a :y one frequenting the Jetty wl ere the lightermen require to place their goods, if it is in a i "abominable condition," or if it is almost an impossibility for any business to be done on ifc. ■ . ( I do nofc for one moment deny that the' approach to the Jetty is very bad, or that the lightermen have occasionally to use the broom oppesite their lighters, but nofc for more than five minutes in a morning, and then only to remove the wet; and how a wharf exposed to the rain in wet weather can be. kept perfectly dry, is amystery to me. Had "Wharf Clerk" applied to me, or my clerk (who, one or other, is on the Jetty from 8 a m. to 5 p m ), his complaint would have been at once enquired into. I am, &c., M. H. Jenkin^n, Jetty Keeper.

New Jetty; Aug. Isfch, 1864,

THE'LiTE FIRE KND THE INSURANCE COMPANIES. (To the Editor of the Daily Times.) : Sir-In your.arfcicle of the 9th inst.. referring to the great fire on the 2nd of February, you make some stringent remarks upon the Insurance Offices, and what they have not done ; and these remarks.have called forth replies from the Agents of two Offices who had distinctly made themselves liable, by ordering premises to be pulled dbwo, and it would now appear, wi?h to make capital out ot the fact of their having settled, those claims, : . ,"'."■' -_.' In order to put the matter fairly before the public, perhaps ihe best way would be to state wbat really took place at the meeting of the Insurance agents, convened, and held at Messrs Cargill's office, oh the 14th March last. . Briefly then; the agent for the Liverpool and London, having been voted into the chair, it was proposed—" That- when any Insurance agent being present at a fire, shall, on a necessity for the removal of premises, in order to check the conflagration, that such agent be empowered to act according to his juigment, and that all the offices bind themselves to contribute their proportion tDwards making good the loss." This, was objected to by Mr Cargill, who stated the object of the meeting to be for the purpose of reimbursing some "poor people," whose premises had been pulled down in order to prevent the fire spreading in the direction of his own premises. And he urgently requested the matter might be at once settled. This was also objected to by several of the agents, who did not consider ifc advisable that the insurance offices should be made liable for the acts of the mob,- and were afraid it would afford a bad precedent, if they paid for the property destroyed by unauthorised persons. And this, you will see, is nothing but right, for the offics might be imposed upon by designing pat-ties, who would be only too glad to have their ricketty shanties pulled down and paid for. Than it was proposed that the Superintendent.should be requested to call a public meeting, in order to induce subscriptions "for the relief of the " poor people. This proposition was also objected to by Mr Cargill, as not meeting the ureency of the case, and also that only a few willing people contributed upon these occasions." After this it was again suggested that the amount should be paid either wo rata according to the amount at risk upon the Block, or by equal division ; but in either case that this be taken as a precedent for future occasions. Bufc this Mr Cargili would not agree to, so no satisfactory arrangement could be made, and the meeting was adjourned. At the j, ;M'LANDKJES!? r .'■'

adjourned meeting, Mr Oar-ill wa3 not present, bur, sent a clerk, although the meeting was held in his own effice. Other aeents sent their clerks, who were of course irresponsible, and so nothing could be done. Again a meeting was called, and again Mr Car„ili was absent, and the same cause produced a like result. Then a paper was sent round stating the various amounts of property destroyed, according to valuation made. '! his also fell through on account of its nor. being allowed fco form a precedent for future occasions, and so the matter ended.

Aou have had the history, and may as well have the commentary, which is this -that insurance agents are not empowered by their companies to apply the funds in -their hands to philanthropieal "purposes; at the time when their sympathies are most needed, aye fully engaged in settling the claims of justice, which, as in this cafe, are frequently heavy. Had the matter baen brought forward in a proper manner, and a subscription list been opened for tbe " poor people,'' the insurance offices would have been then, as they are i>ow, perfectly willing to afford their quota of relief, and it only rests with yourself to try them by that ordeal—but when one party seeks assistance, which he will not pledge himself to return when needed—it is little to be wondered at, if his project falls to the ground, and innocent and deserving people suffer by his advocacy. The subject is capable of being dilated upon to an indefinite length; but my present object is only to show thatthe insurance agents, as a body, have no more rifrht to be blamed than any other class of individuals : all claims for Joss, for which they were fairly liable, were, with one exception, tree y and pioinptly paid. There are other claims besides these of the '■ poor people," which, as a matter of justice, ought at once to be met, viz., the amounts for drawing- water,, labor, kc, on the night of the fire, and afterwards to extinguish the ruin, and, perhaps,,one principal cause why the " poor people's " case.has not been brought on by itself is, that the cry of " pay what is due before you-give away money," would have been certainly raised against any insurance agent who attempted to obtain private subscriptions for the purpose. * In England, I believe fche County, or the Hundred, makes good these private Josses, and it would be much fairer and mora satisfactory to all parties if the.Town Board, or Provincial Government, were to appoint an officer, either in or out of the.police, to take charge and direction at all fires:, as well as to pulling down of property, which is now the only means of staying a conflagration, and directing the removal of such gooris as may be deemed iv peril from the probable spreading of the fire. I shall now conclude for the present, trusting you will put the matter upon its right footing, and when you auain mention the *' wealthy Insurance Offices," please to state, in the names of the agents generally, thafc in public and private they have been usually found to" act in a liberal spirit, and have no intention of altering tfceii' character. I am, &c, Edward Chalmer, Agent for New Zealand Insurance Company.