FIRE DAMAGE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 5 August 1929, Page 7

FIRE DAMAGE

N.Z.'S HIGH PER CAPITA LOSS

INQUIRIES INTO CAUSES ALL FIRES SUGGESTED

OPINIONS OF INSURANCE CO.VI!' AN V MANAGERS

(By Tolet'raph—Special to "The Mail")

CIIKISTCIII'ItriI, 3rd August

A thorough investigation by policu into every outbreak of lire is suggested hv the manager of one insurance company in the city, as a moans of reducing very materially the annual fire loss in the dominion, which on a per capita basis, is the highest in the world. The latest, figures disclose the startling fact that out of every 20s paid in premiums to cover (ire risk, over 16s was paid out during the last statistical year. 11l effect, this' means that if insurance companies operating in New Zealand had to subsist only on fire insurance, they would have to go out of business. The cost to the Dominion has been estimated recently at 18s si<l a head of population, and oven this high figure is considered to err on the conservative side.

HOME UNDERWRITERS CONCERNED

In Croat Britain, which is much mure closely settled, the. loss from the same source is'3s 3£d, and this is regarded there as too high. Underwriters at Home are very deeply concerned over the position here, ami the. question as lo whether the country can afford such an enormous drain on its resources has been debated time and time again. The fact there were- so many wooden buildings in New /calami and that, nothing was done to check thoughtlessness and carelessness, by the proper method of education, was blamed as being responsible lor the 'great prevalence of fires.

''l think a strict coroner's inquiry into the causes of every fire, would a, good deal in reducing the loss," said tire insurance company manager. "Twothirds of all fires that do occur are wilful, and a threat of the police taking a hand would act as a. very effective check. In Australia this is carried out in every case, and the system could well bo extended to this country. The present state of affairs is shocking." '•'BIG- PROPORTION SUSPICIOUS" Another manager agreed entirely witli this view, and also suggested' that the seriousness of fires resulting purely from carelessness should be impressed upon children in the schools, by a method of education similar to that adopted in America where immense publicity is given to this matter. It should lie taken up as a national question. "There is no getting away from the fact that a big proportion of the fires are suspicious, he said, "and an insurance company is fair game at present for persons who make these claims on thorn. The position in New Zealand is considered desperate by insurance authorities at Home, and it is a problem they are concentrating on all the time." Questioned as to the possibility of the premiums going up in view of huge losses that have been sustained, the manager stated that there was little likelihood of that occurring in the meanwhile, though in the ordinary course of business they were reviewed periodically. That, did not moan, however, that they would necessarily increase."