GOVERNMENT INSURANCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 11133, 20 February 1886, Page 2

GOVERNMENT INSURANCE.

MR OLA.PCOT T Otf THE DUNEDIN BUSINESS. Mr Olapoott, the newly appointed lecturer for the Government Insurance Association, lectured at Balclufeha on the 11th instant. The local paper says that inueh interest was felt to haar the lee* turer, as to what he would say anent the recent appointment in Dunedin. Before combatting the stereotyped objections to life insurance in general, Mr Clapeott spoke as follows : —

As much excitement has been caused by the recent changes hi the Dunediu office, and oapital has been made there* from by the friends of private insfcitu* tions, it is incumbent on mo to '«i ve Buoh information as may tend* o pro tect the interests of the ass»- cia J lO a of wmch lam an affio«, , f he dirootorß have deemed it «um> ' it v dent manage? «& J> ane ain f Tnd to invest him wito lv^ er powers tban fcbafc granted to n j g predecessor, and have yJ Bq /P -Jod in making their choice by .arge commercial experience pos-^ by the gentleman selected. Clnfortuuately for the interests of the ■ association, the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer, as chairman of the board, is reported to have supported the appointment by stating that ifc was forced upon the directors through the very unsatisfac tory business done in Otago, and drew an unfavourable comparison between it and that of auother district, and created the impression lhat Otago showed an alarming decrease. Whether the chairman has been correctly reported or not, neither the public nor X know, but should such be the case, then, with the hope of lessening the fear felt by polioyholders, I am constrained to Bay that he must have been supplied with imperfect data. The fact is that the new business obtained in Otasjo during last year is about £226,000, as against in 1884, showitig an increase of about £61,000. It is true that a large number of policies have been written off, but these were oases ob* tamed in 1883, on many of which only the first premium was paid, and which, after having been retained on our books in accordance with tho regulations for one year after default had been made, became absolutely void in 1885, and to prevent this was simply an impossibility. I regret that the chairman, when supporting the present appointment, had not been furnished with more correct information, ac this utterance ho is reported to have made has caused much dissatisfaction amongst policy holders, i and cast a very unmerited slur upou, the late District .Agent. lam speakiug without one spark of jealousy agaiust my successor, for I have received the appointment of lecturer for the colony, but for the satisfaction of those interested in the Government Insurance I re* peat that so far from our business hay* ing fallen off during 18S5, it has been, notwithstanding the general depression wonderfully good : greatly in excess of that, of 1884, equal or closely so to that of the Wellington district, notwithstanding the local influence of onr head office and resident directory, and twice as much as th-tt of Auckland. In short, I believe it will be found to be quite one quarter, probably more, than the entire now budiness obtained throughout the whole of Near Zealand. That the chair- | mail had been iuuorrectly informed 1 am justified in believing, inasmuch as I hold a letter dated in December for our head office expressing regret that through a clerical error Otago had beea made to allow a decrease iastoad of an increase. By a strange accident, pure acoident of course, thia niiatiiko was not discovered imi.il after I had seea some of the directors Much has been said against what is called the extravagant salary given to the district manager. I would remind you that a correct opinion on that point can only be arrived at after a fair trial has been made, and I have no doubt but that gentleman will show that he appreciates the saying, " to whom much is given much shall be required." In dismissing this matter, on which, against my own personal feeling, I have deemed it necessary to speak, I can oaly say that the polievholderi may be congra* tulftted on having a manager appointed whose ability will have full scope, re - lieved of irritating restrictions, and J , whose endeavours to promote the busi- '> ] ness of the association will not be [ , thwarted by absurd cast-iron regulations ' j and official red-tape-* t -,