CITY CORPORATION INSURANCES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1881, 15 October 1913, Page 5

CITY CORPORATION INSURANCES.

4 SOME CORRESPONDENCE. With reference to the allegation made by Councillor Hislop that an insurance linn which had tendered individually for the corporation's lire risks had since joined what he termed "the ring," wo have been requested by the firm in question to publish tho accompanying correspondence, as a proof that it had not joined the Underwriters' Association:— Wellington, 19th Sept., 1913. The Town Clerk, City Corporation Offices, Wellington. Tenders for Corporation Insurances. Sir, —Referring to tho writer's conversation with you over the 'telephone a month or so ago, wo have now to confirm tho assurance then given to you that the Excess Company, Limited (which, as you have already been informed, is now domiciled in New Zealand) lias not joined tho Underwriters' Association, and adheres to its tender now before tho council, and as district agents of tho Excess Company wo fur-, tlier assure you that, even if tho reports which are in circulation were true, they would not have tho slightest effect in altering the decision which we have come to to carry out the terms of our tender, if it should bo accepted by tho council. Further, we have already assured you that tho Excess Company, Limited, will enter into a contract for three years at least (or even for a longer term if tho council should so require), and we now confirm this assurance. Wo are a little disappointed that after the trouble we have taken to assist the council and tho city in connection with their fire insurances, and in view of tho material benefits which they have undoubtedly received from that assistance we are without any official communication in connection with our tender which has now been in since 24th July last. From the local newspapers wo gather that the Finance Committee recommended to the council at its meeting last night that the insurances be again renewed for a further broken period upon their "Tender ,Schedule" with the Standard Insurance Company, but although on a former occasion the Finance Committee made a recommendation that our offer be accepted and the terms of that offer were published, 'nothing appears to have transpired as to the terms of the Standard Insurance Company's tender which the Finance Committee seem to have recommended should be accopted.—Yours faithfully, SEAD-GOWING & CRAVEN, Ltd.' V. W. BRAUND, Wellington Representative. Auckland, loth Sept., 1913. John Sead-Gowing, Esq., Excess Insurance Coy., Ltd., Christchurch. Dear Sir, —From some correspondence recently to hand I gather the insurance of the Wellington corporation risks is before you. May I point out that whilst your firm had no doubt made an offer in some form to the Wellington Corporation a while ago, the business had not actually been placed with yoix, or through you, at tho time of our recent meeting in Wellington. It was not an "accomplished fact" at that date. Therefore, following out the ' tenor of our interviews on that occasion, it would not be competent for you to accept the corporation's risks on terms otiier than those open to all the associated companies. Possibly there is ho occasion for me to refer to this matter at all with you, and I only mention it because one or two or our members have intimated 'rumours that are not in accord' with what is written herein.' Of cour&o the Excess Company, when a member of the. council, would be entitled to its proportion of the business when pooled. . Awaiting your reply to my letter of the 10th in st., with regard to sending in your .filial .application for membership on behalf of the Excess Company — Yours faithfullv, (Signed) JAMES BUTTLE. President. Christchurch, September 22, 1913. The President, Council of Fire and Underwriters' Association of N.Z. Auckland. Dear Sir, —I am obliged for your favours of the 10th and 15th instant, As regards tho former, you misunderstood my letter of /tho Bth instant; I had no wish to convey that there was a lack of good faith in accepting my tele-' grani, but I wanted to point out that my telegram was in good faith on my part, to enablo you to confirm tho. result of tho meeting in Wellington, which you are evidently unable to do. You must bear in mind that I was invited to meet you to discuss the question of the tariff, and as I declined to have anything to do with the breaking of same you asked mo for a way out of tho difficulty, and I gavo one. I understand you put it to tho meeting, and it was carried, but what was actually carried is evidently inconsistent to my suggestion, otherwise why not put it into writing? 1 do not see that the four offices have anything to do with the matter beforehand, as they would be breached for disclosing what you cannot. Now, I do not suppose for a moment you could expect me to join the Tariff in the dark; it would only cause further trouble, as suggested in. your letter of tho 15th instant—for instanco, tho Wellington Corporation risks. It is truo tho business has not actually been placed with mo or through mo, but I have tendered for it, and my tender holds good, com© what may. I am a man of my word; when onco I, givo a tliirtg in writing it stands. I havo no intention wvhatever of being drawn into a one-sided agreement, especially as some of my clients have been informed of the contents of tho minutes of the Wellington meeting, and I am kept in the dark. The Excess Insurance Company, and myself, as a broker, intend to support Tariff rates; but it is evident that we must _ remain independent owing to the inconsistency of the Underwriters' Association. Yours faithfully, . (Signod) J. SEAD-GOWING, Attorney Excess Insurance Co., Ltd.

The solo object of a cow-testing; association, said a farmer at a meeting in Dannevirke on Saturday, in connection with the attempt to form one there, was to show, the dairyman what cows were keeping him and what cows ho was keeping. Dairy farmers in the Daimovirko district, he said, evidently could not seo this,