INSURANCE COMPANIES AND FIRE BRIGADES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2398, 13 September 1886, Page 2

INSURANCE COMPANIES AND FIRE BRIGADES.

Tho foljowini? letter appears in tho Otago Daily Times of September 4th:- " In connection with Councillor Robin's statement that the insurance companies behaved very badly in refusiug to contribute to the supportrof-fire brigades, perhaps you will permit me to quote tho following remarks ;-Fire iusurance companies are only voluntary, associations formed of a number of policy-holders, who contribute to a common fund tor the 'purpose of indemnifyiugany policy-holder who may suffer the misfortune <of a fire on his premises. The premiums paid for

securing such, indemnity mustbe adjusted, according to losses and expenditure; and if,pmn{[tolhe want, of sufficient fir* extinguishiiig appliances, losses become more numerous and more serious, and if, owing-to taxation, expenditure is augmented, a correspondiripnerease must be made in the ratoa of premium. In this manner any taxation for fire-brigade purposes paid by insurance companies must eventually fall on the policy-holders in the shape of increased premiums, and the burden of the piudent, who protect themselves against loss by meaiiß of insurances, would thus be increased for the relief of the imprudent who nogloct to insure.

It is never suggested even that life assurance offices should coutribujJw'ward sanitary improvements; J uorTmarine insurance offices to the colt of harbors of refuge, lighthouses, &o. The protection of life and property from insured or.not insured,'is njJHuch a public duty aaaro protection from murder aud robbery, sanitary arrangements, maintenance of roads, &C., and as such should, m the interests of the community at large, be provided at the publio oxpense,

Besides, we all know, that in towns having a good water supply aud an efficient fire brigade, tho rates are much less than in tho country, or in towns where there is no .water supply nor fire brigade. As a matter of fact, the bettor the water supply, and the more efficient tho fire brigades, the less do property ownerj require to insure, aud theoheaper do thoy got cfie insurauce required. The maintenance of tho lire brigades is the duty solely of tho municipal, authorities, and is a groat saving, by. way of reduoed premiums,.'to tln«fe who are prudent enough to iusure, but is an 'absolute necessity to the uninsured. « In conclusion, .1 may state iffi the insuranco companies entirely support the Salvage Corps, aud that body give their services to save uninsured as well as insured property, without any dia* titiction.'