Government Life Insurance

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 76, 6 December 1884, Page 2

Government Life Insurance

Xt it is the iafeni'on of " the powers that be " to make the Govei anient L'"'e Insurance tmpopr-'ar in the covntry districts 'n the real ter i**id by the manner o*. th« election of members of tbe Ceai rr 1 Board they are succeeding adnrrab'y. It is not too ranch lo say that the insurers resident n tbe countiy far oui_.« mber those residentin the towns, yet, so far as we can nt present judge, the town of W-lbngton '8 to produce "a' l the talents " necessary lo compose the Board. The gen'lemeu Dominated by the Government may each be said to possess "an amiable respectability aud moderate competence," and possibly some qua ,; ficatious known and understood by the Government, but of which the great mass of those most interested are necessarly ignorant. Of those candidates to represent the public who are now wooing the suffrages of the insurers, there appear to be o***!y two thit we know of who are qualified for seats on the Board. The others appear to be attracted by the sala. f of £100 per aimum and the possible "patronage and pickings" which they believe are to be found attendant upon the position, not from any special knowledge or marked abiluy. The two gentlemen we refer to a*** Messrs G. S. Gb-H-* and C. P. Powr,**:s. The foi mer was for many yean manager of a similar ins.iiuUon, and the latter is a respected Wellington citizen of many years' standing and an accountant of weH-known administrative talent. We may be in eiror perhaps in condemning in globo the othe*~-s, bnt there is considerable excuse, as few, if any, of them appear .0 bave beeu remarkably successful in contro'''*ig the events of their own careers "n ,: fe to a successful issue. The Government Life Insurance is a "hit; thing" and its wonderful success bas su-crised everyone, esnecially when the "muddling" which has characterised the management of the Department is considered. The smf- 1 waste of money in payug two or three thousand pounds a year for some years to a man who was " smarter " than the Chief Commissioner, and the wretched esposd of the means nied to catch insurers made iu a recent court case »n the South are ' familiar as household words.' These things have done a lot of { njnry t*> the Association, and propo. donate bene- - fit to rival institutions. It would have been a prudent thing for the Government to have taken country insurers a little into their confidence, and not give them th 1 imnressioo that it is unnecessary for them to be in any way considered or consulted as to the apr oint ment and election of members of the Board. As matters now stand there ex ; sU a reasonable doubt as to whether we w : 'l be abl* to vote at n". As the elections must take place during the current month, the Central Board assuming control on the first of January next, and np to this time of w riting country insurers are in absolute

darkness, the Governi-u.it having given not the slightest intimation. A feeliug of great dissatisfaction exists which it will take a long time to remove. We are certain of this — that some present, and much future " business " has already ' been alienated from the Department. j