THE CHRISTCHURCH FIRE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9069, 8 February 1908, Page 5

THE CHRISTCHURCH FIRE.

TOTAL AMOUNT OF INSURANCES. r Per Press Association i Christchurch, February’?. As may be well imagined, the' representatives of the various insurance i companies were kept busy to-day at- . tempting to ascertain the amount of i loss that their [respective companies sustained. This no means an easy matter to arrive at, as in most instances reinsurances have been effected. Below is given the total amount of the insurances. They represent the amount that each cornpay will be called upon to pay, or the value up to which they may be called upon ;to reinstate the damage done. In some cases the figures represent a greater loss than the amount of cover, and in others the opposite state of affairs. It will be seen that the total (including the risk held by Lloyd’s (London) of £34,000 on the D. 1.0.) is over £200,000. The relation this total bears to the actual loss is of course almost impossible at present even to guess at, also how the companies are affected. The following are the amounts of insurances (referred to above) as far Jas is known:—Lloyds, £84,400; Royal, £30,000; Alliance, £23,000;. Yorkshire, £13,205; Royal Exchange, £12,500; New Zealand, £10,200; London and Lancashire, £10,000; Liverpool, London and Globe, £9500; Northern, £9000; Victoria, £8000; North British and Mercantile, £7000; Commercial Union, £7000; South British, £7000; Sun, £7000; Guardian, £5500; Government State, £4700; Atlas, £4500; Standard, £4500; National, £4300; North Queensland, £3300: Australian Alliance, £3000; United, £2300; Phoenix, £750. Total, £229,460. It is generally understood in insurance circles that the result of ithe fire will be practically a total loss to the companies. Out of the above total, £30,600 is held by New Zealand and the State Fire Department, but of course there may be reinsurance, which will alter this proportion. At the same time it is apparent that the English and Australian insurance companies have had to be relied on for £199,000 of the grand total, which gives some evidence of the extent to whichJNew Zealanders are still compelled to rely on Euglish’offices for insurance. Of course it is impossible for the insurance companies to make up an absolutely reliable statement of the amount of cover held by the individual firms affected by the fire, but the following figures may be taken as fairly reliable : —Ashby, Bergh and Oo.s, building and contents, £29,000; D.I. 0., building and contents, £81,500; Robt. Malcolm and Co., building and contents, £10,480; Strange and Co., building, £6000; White Hart Hotel, building : and contents £15,700; White Hart warehouse, £1000; F. W. Tucker, 1 stock £3000; Wardell Bros., £10,000; H. H. Clifford, £1750; P. Hayman and Co., £2000; D. Benjamin, con- > tents £6500; Gill Bros., building, £3250; W. A. Tribe : aud Co., contents, £1450; Hulbert, Slaymaker and Co, concents, £3100; Free- \ man’s, building £7OOO, contents - £3000; Beath and Co., building and contents, £38,035; Bank of Austra- • lasia, £IO,OOO. These are the main items, but , there are other insurances-that have < not yet been adjusted.