iimanttl NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT LIFE INSURANCE DEPARTMENT. ESTABLISHED 1870. THE NEW HEAD OFFICES, WELLINGTON. REPORT OF THE LAYING OF THE MEMORIAL STONE. WELLINGTON. BY AUTHORITY: GEORGE DIDSBURY, GOVERNMENT PRINTER. 1892 . \ f . : ■ < . . 4 , , ; . c A } .V . v 8 Ap ’02 X\\Qn. 18 9 2. NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT LIFE INSURANCE DEPARTMENT. LAYING THE MEMORIAL-STONE OF THE NEW HEAD OFFICES, WELLINGTON. On Friday, the 4th November, was performed the ceremony of laying the stone or tablet to commemorate the construction of the fine block of new buildings now in course of erection in Wellington for the head offices of the Government Life Insurance Department. The site — which is in a prominent part of Custom- house Quay — is one of the best in the city; and the building itself, when completed, will prove the most spacious as well as, in its way, the most attractive in Wellington, if notin the colony. A representation of the building is given in this pamphlet, and a brief narrative of its style and accommodation is contained in the report of the proceedings which is given below. There was a large attendance of the public at the cere- mony, including the Hon. Sir Patrick Buckley, K.C.M.G. (Colonial Secretary and Attorney-General) ; the Hon. James Carroll, Messrs. G. F. Richardson, George Fisher, William McLean, John Duthie (members of the House of Representa- tives) ; His Worship the Mayor (Mr. H. D. Bell), and the Town Clerk (Mr. J. E. Page) ; Messrs. J. H. Richardson {Government Insurance Commissioner), D. M. Luckie (Assistant Commissioner), Dr. Henry (Chief Medical Officer) ; Messrs. W. B. Hudson (Secretary), J. E. FitzGerald, C.M.G. (Controller ^ \oa M 2 and Auditor- General), J. R. Blair (Chairman of the Board of Education) , Nicholas Reid, Edward Pearce, A. E. Castendyk (Ger- man and Danish Consul), Thomas Gale (President of the Cham- ber of Commerce), C. M. Crombie (Commissioner of Taxes), George Didsbury (Government Printer), Glasgow (Customs), Hickson (Stamps), Heywood (Treasury), Haselden (Patents), H. J. H. Eliott (Mines), Tregear (Labour Bureau), E. H. Eraser, Theo. Cooper (Auckland), Harcourt, Dr. MacGregor (Inspector-General of Hospitals), Drs. Gillon, Pollen, Rawson, Adams, Captain Edwin, Mr. Carmichael (the contractor), and a number of gentlemen connected with other insurance in- stitutions, and many others representing the legal and medical professions. The memorial tablet, which was prepared by Mr. Helyer, of Wellington, consists of a handsome slab of white marble, and bears the following inscription : — V.R. The New Zealand Government Life Insurance Department. Established 1870. This Stone was laid by the Honourable Sir Patrick A. Buckley, K.C.M.G., November 4, 1892. Premier . . . . Attorney-General Minister of Education Minister for Public Works Minister of Lands Minister of Justice Postmaster-General Minister representing Native Race Hon. John Ballance. Hon. Sir P. A. Buckley, K.C.M.G. Hon. W. P. Reeves. Hon. R. J. Seddon. Hon. J. McKenzie. Hon. A, J. Cadman. Hon. J. G. Ward. Hon. J. Carroll. Government Insurance Commissioner : J. H. Richardson. Assistant Commissioner : D. M. Luckie. Actuary: Morris Fox. Secretary: W. B. Hudson. Chief Medical Officer : Jos. Henry, L.R.C.P., London. Architects : Builders : Clere and Richmond. R. Carmichael and Son. The stone was suspended immediately above that part of the wall in front of the northern wing of the building where it is now fixed. In a recess under the tablet was deposited a copper case, hermetically sealed, containing specimens of the current gold, silver, and copper coins of the realm, from a sovereign to a half- penny ; copies of the Wellington newspapers ; a set of the 3 Government Insurance postage-stamps ; the Quinquennial Report of 1890; the Annual Report for 1891; Acts of Parliament, passed in the years 1874, 1886, and 1891, relating to Government insurance ; the latest prospectus and tables of rates ; a copy of the Commissioner’s address; list of the office staff; names of the layer of the stone, the architects, and builders, together with a photograph of the old and a perspective sketch of the new buildings. Promptly at 2 o’clock Sir Patrick Buckley appeared on the platform in front of the building, accompanied by the Com- missioner, the Assistant Commissioner, the Chief Medical Officer, and several other gentlemen, and w^as received with applause from those assembled in the street below. Mr. J. H. Richardson (the Commissioner) opened the pro- ceedings by reading the following address — Sir Patrick, — On an occasion like this, which marks an epoch in the affairs of the department, I think a brief resume of its history from its inception will be of interest. The department was established in the year 1869, at the in- stance of Sir Julius Vogel, who tabled a motion in the- House of Representatives recommending the Government to introduce a measure which would create a special department of the State for the purpose of insuring and granting annuities on the lives of such people as desired to avail themselves of the guarantee of the colony, in addition to the ordinary security provided by the funds of a life office. This motion was supported by the Hon. Sir John Hall, at that time Postmaster-General, and was, I believe, approved unanimously. In the same year there w T as a change of Government, and Sir Julius — who had in the mean- time become a Minister of the Crown — introduced a Bill wdiicli gave practical effect to the motion the adoption of which he had already secured. That the opinion which then prevailed as to the wisdom of the State’s undertaking the business of life in- surance was one that met with the approval of the public is evidenced by the successful career of the department up to the present time. The first policy, which is still in force, was issued — for .€300 — on the 26th day of March, 1870. From this small beginning a great business has grown up, and at the pre- sent time the number of policies in force is 29,593, assuring, including bonus additions, the sum of €8,500,000. The funds 4 now amount to <£1,930,000, and the annual income to £331,000, and the department has, since its establishment, paid to policy- holders and their representatives the large sum of £1,280,000. Notwithstanding that the department’s premiums are lower than those of any office doing business in the Australasian Colonies, the actuarial valuations have disclosed large surpluses. The total amount of cash profits allocated to policyholders has been £406,000, producing reversionary bonuses, or additions to the amount assured, of £840,354. From a valuation made by the Actuary as at the end of last year, there is every reason to believe that the investigation for the first triennium under the Act of 1890 will show a surplus on the same liberal scale. Amongst the leading features of the department are — the State guarantee, under which the payment of every policy at death or maturity is guaranteed by the colony ; the invest- ment of all the funds in the colony ; and the confine- ment of the business to New Zealand, which statistics show to be the healthiest country in the world. The department, recognising that the wishes of the people who practise total abstinence should be consulted, has initiated a separate section for total abstainers, the profits of which are allocated amongst the temperance policyholders, thus giving them the advantages attaching to the longer average existence which they claim to enjoy over those who are not abstainers. The experience in Great Britain has been such as to show that total abstainers have a light death-rate, and there is every reason to believe that the experience in New Zealand will be in the same direc- tion. The department has also initiated a tontine section, under which the profits allocated to the section do not vest until the expiry of the tontine period. Under this arrangement the representatives of such tontine policyholders as die early do not receive the bonuses that have accrued. These, in common with the bonuses on tontine policies which are surrendered or discontinued from any other cause, go to swell the bonuses of the policyholders who survive the period. On an occurrence like the one we now celebrate, any further remarks concerning the department must of necessity be brief, but I do not think they would be complete unless the names of the leading officials who have administered its affairs are mentioned. The first Commissioner was the Hon. William Gisborne (now in Eng- 5 land) ; the next was the late Major Heapliy, who was succeeded by Mr. D. M. Luckie, who retired from the position on account of severe illness, and is now Assistant Commissioner. Mr. Luckie was succeeded by Mr. F. W. Frankland, and on that gentleman’s resignation to accept an appointment in England I was appointed to the office. The first Actuary was Mr. Godfrey Knight, who resigned to join the Equitable, of the United States. He was succeeded by Mr. Frankland, who was in turn succeeded by the present Actuary, Mr. Morris Fox. The first Secretary was Mr. H. S. H. Lyall, who was succeeded by myself ; and on my subsequent appointment as Commissioner Mr. W. B. Hudson became Secre- tary. The first Medical Officers were Dr. (now Sir James) Hector, and Dr. Charles Knight. They were succeeded by Dr. Alexander Johnston, who is now in England, and he in turn was succeeded by Dr. Joseph Henry. The present staff of the department, in addition to the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Henry, are — Mr. J. H. Richardson, Commissioner; Mr. D. M. Luckie, Assistant Commissioner ; Mr. Morris Fox, Actuary; Mr. W. B. Hudson, Secretary ; Mr. It. J. S. Todd, Accountant ; Mr. G. Leslie, Assistant Actuary ; and Mr. G. W. Barltrop, Chief Clerk. Continuing his remarks, the Commissioner proceeded to refer to the structure which was now in process of erection, the design for which had been shown at the Exhibition of the Aca- demy of Arts recently held in the Education Board Offices here, and would probably be somewhat familiar to many present. The outlines would, he said, be effective and picturesque, and this, combined with the warm colour of the brickwork, will make the building a pleasant contrast to the square and somewhat sombre- looking blocks so common in Wellington. The site, perhaps, is the best in the town, possessing such an excellent sea- frontage, and forming the background, as it were, to the view obtained by every one passing along Jervois Quay from Te Aro. The style adopted by the architects is Gothic. The motive guiding them apparently being the desire to make a distinctive building, which was obviously important to an institution like a life office, as well as to show the adaptability to the require- ments of a secular edifice of the beautiful forms and honest construction which were usually associated with ecclesiastical buildings only. The Gothic is spoken of as being the 6 English national style, for it was plainly the only style that had ever had a natural growth in Great Britain. To come to details : This building will have a frontage of 411ft. — 173ft. to Customhouse Quay, and 119ft. to Panama and Brandon Streets respectively — and the height to the top of the gables is to be 76ft. These figures, compared with the Post Office, meant that the Government Life Office will have nearly 100ft. more front- age, and about 12ft. additional visible height. The internal arrangement of the offices was not yet definitely settled, but the building w T ill be so constructed as to be practically fireproof : it will be divided into three distinct parts, connected with each other only through Milner’s fireproof-safe doors. It will be lighted by electricity, and heated by hot water. Externally the walls will be finished in red pressed brick, relieved with white stone, and the roofs, which will be important features in the design, will be covered with the best Welsh slates. When it was decided to build the two wings there was no intention of immediately going on with the middle block, but upon opening up the foundations it was found that the piles were so decayed that the building above could not possibly have stood more than a year or two without considerable expense being incurred. The architects have, however, decided to save the 'large handsome room which was formerly the Provincial Council Chamber, and to build brick walls around it. Although this new building is being constructed of the best materials, promises to be an ornament to the town, and will be practically fireproof, the outlay has been of so judicious a nature that the building will prove a very pro- fitable investment to the department. Sir Patrick Buckley, who was received with loud applause, then addressed the assemblage. He said that the very clear ex- planation of the position of the institution which had been pre- sented by the Commissioner left very little for him to state. He had, however, in the first place to express regret at the illness which had caused the Premier’s absence that day, as otherwise the congenialduty would have devolved upon the Premier of laying the memorial tablet of an institution in which he had ever taken so ardent an interest. He himself might frankly and honestly use the very common and trite expression of regret that the duty c®nfided to him had not fallen to other and abler hands, because, while he pretended to know something about Cabinet meetings. 7 he could assure them he knew nothing of the mysteries of masonry, and therefore he was afraid the duty he had to perform was intrusted to inexperienced hands. He thought they all knew of the high admiration he had for this public institution. It was one that they all should desire to foster, because he was sure it would benefit not only those of the public who were interested in it, but the community at large. He was not going to take advantage of the position he occupied for the purpose of cracking up this institution at the expense of kindred institutions in the colony, because he felt assured that a spirit of healthy emulation between the various offices would be to the advantage of all parties concerned. He did not believe in monopoly, but he did believe in a healthy rivalry, in the in- terests of the whole community. Sir Patrick then glanced at the early history of the Government Insurance Department, passing a warm tribute of praise to his old friend and colleague. Sir Julius Vogel. To the master mind of this gentleman — one of the ablest statesmen we had ever had in this country, one who had left his mark on everything he touched, and one who had done more than any one else to forward the interests of New Zealand — was due the foundation of the department. Then, too, it had been fortunate in being presided over from its inception by able men. The first Commissioner was the Hon. William Gisborne, well known in the colony many years ago, and now residing in England. He was succeeded temporarily by a gentleman whose name would be long cherished in Wellington — the late Mr. Jonas Woodward, who held the office of Deputy-Commissioner. The late Major Heaphy, V.C., afterwards for a time filled the office; and after him came his old friend Mr. Luckie, whom he was glad to see here to-day, still closely connected with the institu- tion. Now the department was presided over by Mr. Richard- son, a gentleman of acknowledged ability and experience, who had shown singular aptitude for his work, and who was assisted by a zealous and efficient staff. Judging from what had already been accomplished bv the institution, it was one of wonderful success. It was started with one policyholder, whose policy was still alive. There were now close upon thirty thousand policyholders, representing a contingent liability of eight mil- lions, and with an income sufficient to meet all engagements, while it had paid over to policyholders and their representatives 8 a million and a quarter of money. Sir Patrick concluded by thanking the assemblage for listening to his remarks, and by stating that he would now lay the memorial tablet of a structure that he hoped would prove an ornament to the city, and a benefit to the community at large. — (Cheers.) Sir Patrick then proceeded to lay the stone. Mr. Car- michael, the contractor, presented to him an ivory-handled and tastefully-chased silver trowel (made in Wellington by Mr. Prank Grady), which bore the following inscription: “Pre- sented to the Hon. Sir Patrick A. Buckley, K.C.M.G., on the occasion of his placing the memorial stone for the Govern- ment Insurance Buildings, Wellington, November 4, 1892.” The tablet was then lowered into position, and was declared well and truly laid. On a call from the Commissioner, three hearty cheers were given for Sir Patrick Buckley and briefly acknow- ledged, and thus ended the formal proceedings outside the building. Whthin there was waiting for the guests a cold collation spread on three long tables on a temporary flooring. Here the Commissioner took the chair, supported on his right by Sir Patrick Buckley and Mr. Luckie, the Assistant-Commissioner, and on his left by his Worship the Mayor (Mr. Bell) and the Controller and Auditor-General (Mr. FitzGerald), the vice- chairs being filled by the Chief Medical Officer (Dr. Henry) and the Secretary (Mr. Hudson). After a short pause, during which attention was bestowed on the viands on the tables, the toast of “ The Queen ” was given from the chair and duly honoured. Mr. FitzGerald, who, on rising, was warmly received, then proposed “The Parliament of New Zealand.” He remarked that he had some difficulty in proposing this toast because of the suggestion which had fallen from their Chairman with regard to cutting short the speeches, as there was a good deal to say on such a subject. Many years ago he was sometimes called upon to make a speech, but he had not for some time had an oppor- tunity allowed him, and he welcomed this occasion as one which would carry him back to old times. That hope had been nipped in the bud by the remark which fell from the Chairman that he hoped the speakers would be brief. Whatever might be thought of the benefits that were conferred upon the colony by the 9 Parliament of New Zealand, all would agree upon this one thing : that no measure was ever proposed or passed by any Parliament which had conferred so signal a benefit upon the colony as the establishment of the Government Insurance Office of New Zea- land. Though, perhaps, all persons might not wholly agree, yet, notwithstanding, he believed that the Government Insurance Office, wonderfully successful as it had been up to the present time, had not arrived at anything like the great success that would be attained in the future. They could not realise the extent to which insurance had operated with signal benefit upon the lives and comfort of the people of New Zealand. He was having a conversation only yesterday with two of the most eminent and distinguished men in New Zealand — one was present to-day, and the other was Sir Robert Stout 1 — two of the most distinguished thinkers — as to the future of New Zealand; and they agreed upon this point : that they must look forward to the time when every man and woman in the colony should have his or her life insured against poverty in old age (applause) ; and he thought they might look forward to the time when Parliament would make such arrangements with his friends in the Government Insurance Office so that insurance shall be extended to such a degree that poverty and destitution in old age would be absolutely impossible in New Zealand. — (Cheers.) — He hoped his friends in the Insurance Office would, and indeed did, consider that they had an important mission before them to persuade, by the best means available, the public of New Zealand — not by introducing a compulsory scheme, but by persuasion — to accept a general scheme of insurance by which poverty would be abolished. And in this office the clerks should not only carry out their ordinary duties, but consider themselves missionaries to preach that great doctrine to the people, so that distress in old age would be absolutely banished from the country. If so, it would make this building, in which they were now assembled, one that should be looked upon not only as a great benefit to New Zea- land, but as an object for admiration all over the civilised com- munities of the world. — (Applause.) — He coupled with the toast the names of Sir Patrick Buckley and the Hon. Mr. Carroll. Sir Patrick (who was received with prolonged cheers), in replying, said that to speak on such an occasion as this was indeed pleasant; but he had an amount of national modesty, 10 which always overcame him, and to speak after such a dis- tinguished orator as his friend made it more difficult still. To respond for the Parliament of New Zealand was too much for him to do within the limits prescribed by the Chair- man (the Commissioner), who so ably ruled the destinies of this establishment. But he would endeavour to cut short his speech, by simply thanking them for the manner in which they had received the toast so ably proposed by Mr. FitzGerald. — (Cheers.) The Hon. Mr. Carroll, who was warmly greeted, indorsed the remarks of Sir Patrick Buckley. The Mayor (Mr. Bell), who was also cheered, said that the toast which he had been asked to submit for their approval was “ The Insurance Department,” which was their host to-day, and he only regretted that he was unable to do such a toast justice within the limits prescribed. Speaking as Mayor of the city, and for the citizens, he congratulated the department and the city on having this building as an advertisement not only of their city, but also for the Insurance Department of New Zealand — a standing record and monument of its past and present, and a presage of its future. He was speaking now as one who had long been a policyholder in the department, and he congratu- lated his brother policyholders upon the advance which the institution had made, of which again this building, which had become a necessary incident of the enlargement of business, was a record. Taking the subject in another capacity — namely, as one who was for some years associated with the management of the Institution, when it was under a directory — he was able to speak with some authority in saying, as he now said, that never had any department in New Zealand been more loyally served by those in its employ than the Government Insurance Department. He would specially like to say a word of congratulation — he was speaking now as a native of New Zealand — he desired to express congratulations on the fact that the gentleman holding the high position of Commis- sioner was also a native of New Zealand, born amongst them, educated amongst them, bred amongst them, and raised by his own individual efforts to the high position he had attained. — (Applause.) — So in all these capacities he (Mr. Bell) was able to speak with real feelings when he proposed to those present. 11 and cordially drank himself to, the “ Success and Prosperity of this great Institution.” He joined with the toast the name of Mr. Richardson, a native of New Zealand, and Commissioner of the Government Insurance Department. — (Cheers.) — The toast was drunk with musical honours. The Commissioner (Mr. Richardson) returned hearty thanks for the manner in which his Worship’s toast had been received. It gave him very great pleasure that a native of the colony, and one who had for years taken an interest in the department, should propose this toast. Mr. Bell was a member of the old Associa- tion Board, and all the members of the staff thought very highly of him and of his services on the Board. Mr. Richardson then warmly thanked Sir Patrick for his kindness in attending to per- form the ceremony of laying the memorial tablet of the depart- ment. So much had already been said with regard to the building and generally that very little was left for him to say, but he would take the opportunity of stating that the department had had for some time under its consideration the question of rebuilding. They had been cramped for room for a long time ; and the old Provincial Buildings, designed for Government offices, were un- suitable for the department’s requirements, and so far back as 1886 the question of rebuilding had been under consideration. The present accommodation was very limited, and the staff scattered, so that there was a waste of money and time in con- ducting the department’s affairs under present arrangements. Apart, however, from all this, Mr. Clere, when called upon to succeed the late Mr. Toxward, discovered on examination that the foundations and plates of the present building were so much decayed that it would be only a question of time when it would be necessary to go to great expense in repairing the old build- ing. Besides, the new wings, which were being erected to utilise the large spaces at the north and south ends of the old building (heretofore lying vacant and unremunerative), would be much higher than the old building, and would consequently give the block an unsightly appearance, so that it was thought the best course not to make two bites at a cherry, but to go on with the whole building. — (Applause.) — The cost of the building would be about <£24,000, and he had great pleasure in stating that the tenancies already arranged for would bring in a net rental of 6 per cent, on the value of buildings and 12 land, so that the department’s action would be distinctly in the interests of policyholders. Indeed, the bulk of the avail- able space in the new building was practically let in advance, and there were constant inquiries for rooms. Mr. Richard- son then briefly sketched the history of life insurance in its modern form, and its progress in this colony, which had been very marked indeed. He stated that he did not think he was very far wrong in saying that at the present time this de- partment held insured one out of every six of the insurable male population in this country, and he believed that one out of every three was insured somewhere. He added that he thought no other country in the world could show such a record of thrift. He had pleasure in being able to avail himself of this opportunity of publicly stating that during the last year or two the character of the competition that had previously existed amongst life offices in this colony had been greatly modified, and not too soon. The pace had become too hot for all of them, and had been too costly for many. But now a change had been effected, and the attempts by canvassers to “ twist ” policyholders from one office to another, which had been a marked characteristic of the past, had practically ceased. He added that it was not right that policyholders should suffer in their bonuses by excessive competition. The rights of those already assured must be con- sidered and protected ; and unless the interests of the general body of policyholders were so considered, and action pursued so as to avoid the rushing-in of a lot of ephemeral new business at excessive cost, justice would not be done to the policyholders. He w r as more convinced day by day that adherence to a moderate policy best served the interests of policyholders as a whole. — (Applause.) — Of course it was the duty of officers of the depart- ment to serve loyally any Ministry that might be in power. That was their duty as Civil servants, and he believed that there was no more loyal department than this in the Service, and he must also say that during the time he had been connected with the department the successive Ministers that had been in power had taken great interest in its affairs. Mr. Richardson mentioned the several successive political heads of the department, and referred to the eminent men whom it had been the department’s good fortune to have had presiding over it in that capacity. In this connection he alluded especially to Sir Julius Vogel, who, 13 as already stated, had been the founder of the institution ; to Sir Harry Atkinson, for whose memory he and the whole staff cherished the warmest regard ; and to the Premier, the Hon. Mr. Ballance, who had always specially interested himself in the department, and made himself thoroughly conversant with its affairs, and whose present illness every one must deplore, and hail with satisfaction his speedy recovery, and his return to the active duties of his responsible position. — (Applause.) — Mr. Richardson took the opportunity of saying that he believed the department to be served in a most admirable manner both by the inside and outside staff — he did not believe that any office in the colonies had a better staff than this department now possessed, and he desired to thank one and all for the great help they had been to him. Mr. Richardson concluded by very heartily thanking the company for the manner in which they had drunk the toast. — (Cheers.) Mr. Luckie then proposed “ Success to the Life and Fire Insurance Companies of New Zealand.” He said the Chairman had referred to the arrangement which had been arrived at amongst life offices in removing ill-judged antagonism and ex- travagant competition. So much had this been changed by a common agreement that the competition now was more like a mild and friendly contest where the competitors desire to win, not by traducing and misrepresenting their neighbours, but each on his own merits. There was no longer that extravagant competi- tion to obtain new business, which, because it was unduly forced,, was ephemeral, and therefore in the main unprofitable. When recently in Sydney he had met various gentlemen connected with the great Australasian life offices, and all were impressed with the desire to carry on a careful, safe, and modest business, free from undue pressure, and, with very few exceptions, free from any attempts on the part of tricky or unreliable agents. The fact was, such persons were weeding themselves out ; and cer- tainly in this colony the relations amongst the various offices had become satisfactory and trustful, and by consequence beneficial to the institutions themselves and to their respective policy- holders. With respect to the fire branch of insurance, there was, of course, a very wide difference between fire and life. We insured a man’s life ; but it was an unfortunate circumstance that, except in cases of endowment assurances, the policyholder 14 was like a man making a bet in which he had to die to win : that is, his representatives won. But, after all, that was a grand stake in which all might participate, for he who insured his life and kept up his policy could always prevent a heritage of woe such as poverty produces when the breadwinner had de- parted. But to return to fire, against which, either in the present or the future, life offices did not profess to insure any one : — the department had necessarily, as large investors, ex- ternal relations with the fire companies, who kept insured such parts of the policyholders 5 moneys as were invested in proper- ties. The fire offices were liberal and always obliging in all reasonable requirements, and they deserved all fair and reason- able support, and deserved also to be saved from so-called accidental fires, which occasionally looked suspicious and purpose- like. Mr. Martin, of the National Mutual, in reply, tendered his thanks on behalf of the life offices working in the colony. He substantiated what the Commissioner and Mr. Luckie had said respecting the relations existing among the different offices, wffiich were now of a cordial description, and for which he (Mr. Martin) said they had to tender their thanks for the action taken by the present Commissioner, in conjunction with some of the other offices, to bring about the present satisfactory state of things. Mr. Lawson, Manager of the New Zealand Fire Insurance Company, also responded ; and Mr. Brandon (a Director of the Australian Mutual Provident Society) briefly expressed a hope that in the future the same spirit of harmony which had been referred to would continue to exist. Dr. Henry (the Chief Medical Officer) said they had heard in pleasing language from Sir Patrick Buckley the satisfactory condition of this institution from its very inception. Nothing could be more satisfactory to every one concerned ; but, of course he was not there as an advertising agent, but only spoke to facts. Now, successful as all these things had been as regarded in- vestments, bonuses, and so forth, what a very poor figure they ■would cut at the present day but for the well-selected lives ! and well-selected lives depended upon the medical referees. Occasionally the most experienced and skilled referees would make mistakes, and so would every one. As far as this insti- 15 tution was concerned they had as a rule been very fortunate in that respect, and their staff of medical referees was a credit to themselves and to the profession to which they had the honour to belong. He coupled with the toast the name of Dr. Rawson, who briefly responded. The Chairman then proposed “ The Agency Staff/' and said that without the agency staff they would get no business : indeed, he had heard it stated that the agency staff was the foundation on which the superstructure of the business was raised, and that the District Managers looked after the Agents, and the Head Office looked after the District Managers. But, joking apart, the agency staff was a material part of the whole machine, and the business depended largely for its success on the indefatigable efforts of the Agents, and without them no real progress could be made. Some people had the impression that it was merely necessary to hoist a flag to make proponents flock in of' their own accord. Those people could have no conception of the difficulties in the way of getting people to insure. If there w r ere no canvassers insurance offices would become burnt-out cinders. He coupled with the toast the name of Mr. George Robertson, who had gradually worked himself up to the charge of the important district of Wellington. Mr. Robertson, on behalf of the outside staff of the office, returned thanks for the manner in which the toast had been received. He ventured to say, without fear of contradiction, that they had as good a set of men working outside for business as any office in the colony, and they were steadily extending this national institution, to which the Controller and Auditor- General had been pleased to refer in terms of praise. He would take that opportunity of saying — and the representa- tives of other life offices would bear him out — that, since the understanding was arrived at by the various offices working in New Zealand they had done far better, sounder, and more lasting business than in the past. Mr. Hudson, in proposing “The Press," said he supposed that in the colonies they all had their share of hard work to do — he knew, at any rate, he had found it so — and amongst their hard- working people he supposed there were no men who had to work harder than journalists. The immense amount of work, however, which these gentlemen had to perform, and the inces- sant toil involved, seemed to be fully equalled by the enthusiasm and love of their work which appeared to characterize every member of that profession. The Government Life Insurance Department owed much to the New Zealand Press. The pre- judice which existed in a certain section of the insurance Press as to the propriety of any Government undertaking the business of life insurance — a prejudice so strong in the case of an insur- ance journal published in London as to lead it to openly declare that on that ground alone it would lose no opportunity of assail- ing the department — had, he thought, no place in New Zealand. Of course, from time to time one or other newspaper had thought it its duty occasionally to find a little fault with the office ; but these criticisms were almost always characterized by thorough fair-play, and, as a rule, were such as no public institution could fairly take exception to. He believed he was right in saying that the Press of New Zealand as a whole took the friendliest interest in the welfare and success of this purely New Zealand institution. He coupled with the toast the names of Messrs. Gillon, Loughnan, and Hearn. Mr. Geddis returned thanks for the very handsome terms in which Mr. Hudson had proposed the toast, and he reciprocated the sentiments enunciated by him. The Commissioner then proposed “ The Architects and Builders,” and, after referring to the former proposals with re- gard to the building in Mr. Toxward’s time, said that after that gentleman’s death the old building w as thoroughly examined, and the foundation and plates w 7 ere found in a decayed condition, and for these reasons amongst others it w r as decided to go on w 7 ith the wffiole building. Mr. Clere’s services were called in, and he (the Chairman) must say that Mr. Clere had produced a design eminently beautiful, and when the building was finished it w r ould be one of the finest commercial buildings in the colony. Mr. Carmichael, the builder, w T as carrying on the building in a very satisfactory manner, and he (the Chairman) felt sure that- it would be completed w ithin the contract time. He coupled with the toast the names of Messrs. Clere and Carmichael. These gentleman having replied, and, the toast-list being completed, cheers were given for the Governor and the colony, and the company separated after a most successful gathering. \m m. By Authority : George Didsbuiu', Government Printer, Wellington. — 1892.