Sir, —I have had pushed under my office door a paper entitled “ State or Municipal Insurance.” In this very badly reasoned paper there are a variety of arguments used to show that Governments or muni cipalities should not engage in the aboyo work. All the arguments used just con vince me and others that either the Government or municipalities should take up tho work, and that, too, as soon as possible. No one believes that the shareholders in fire insurance companies embark their money purely for the benefit of the public. No one believes that the above circular was reprinted and circulated purely for benevolent purposes. Why, then, did it find its way under my door ? Simply because of interested motives. The fire offices feared a strong rival in the Govern ment. Why did not the author of this precious article, culled from tho Insur ance and Banking Record, tell us what were the total premiums received in Now Zealand for any given number' of years and the total losses in tho same period? Or, better still, prepare a table showing the total premiums paid and the total losses paid since the foundation of this Colony, together with the costs of managemont,|in the same way as life offices prepare their tables, and then we should be tho hotter able to judge of the value of the special pleading of the writer. The present Goveinment are just as capable of managing the business of fire insurance as they are life insurance, railways or the Civil Service of tho Colony ; and if tho same efficiency is shown in this new line of business tho ratepayers will have cause to be thankful. I know lam paying 19s 6d per cent, for my insurance on -E3200, with the prospect of having to pay 22s 6d next year. Tho new tariff did very little good to tho suburban insurers, and in some oases made it worse. Ido not think the Seddon Government will baok down in a hurry In this or anything else.—l am, &0., Insurer. Wellington, April 29th.
