QUEEN VICTORIA'S INSURANCE.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 12 April 1901, Page 4

QUEEN VICTORIA'S INSURANCE.

About a Quarter of a Million due on her Death. Enquiries in tho city (says the Daily Mail) indicate that the amount which will be paid out by the insurance companies over the Queen's death will be about a quarter of a million. Every office practically is "fall;" tbat is has policies on the Queen's life up to the limit it cares to take. Thero are about eighty offices. The limit varies with different offices. While some will not insure any one life, Queen's or subjects, for more than £2OOO there are one or two which will take a risk up to £IO,OOO, but ihe average limit is about £4OOO or £SOOO.

The American ollices certainly take up to £40,000 on a single life, but the inviolable rule of American offices, especially when dealing with largo risks, is for a medical examination of tho insured. About five years ago there was an attempt to insure heavily the life of tho Duke of Edinburgh, but tho Duke would not comply with tho request that he should be medically examined, and tho insurance was refused. Tho insurance offices will not, of course, begrudge payments over policies on the Queen's lite. Such policies have been very profitable to them, as policies always are when the insured lives longer than seventy years. The insurable interests which had led to the taking out of policies on tho Queen's life were mainly leases granted for the term of Her Majesty's life. It has, of course, been practically impossible to insuro tho life of the Queen for "whole life policies" for the past ton or twelve years. Before then tho rate was about £ll per cent. At the Diamond Jubileo time there were many insurances to cover the period of the public rejoicings' and on those, of course, tho insurance offices made large profits. At Lloyd's thero have been a few recent insurances of the Queen's life up to given dates. These havo come from \Vestend tradesmen dreading an upheaval of trade and from theatrical managers, and so on.