The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-09 00:00:00

absolute failures. What are the statistics which
Mr. GLADSTONE gives on good authority ? From
1844 to 1862 inclusive the number of life assur-
ance companies prOjected was 596 ; founded, 276 ;
ceased to exist, 259; amalgamations, 12; tranfers
of business, 161 ; winding up in Chancery, 57.
What an amount of failure and distress among
the labouring population is testified by these
figures ? For we must remember that a great
proportion of these companies belong to what are
called industrial business and minor insurance
I societies, the distinction being that industrial as-
surance depends on weekly or monthly collections.
Where can there ba a harder case than of a labour-
ing man who has been stinting himself and deny-
ing his family little comforts for a long period of
years, to find the company collapsed, the money
squaLdered, and the prospects of his family entt:Zdy
destroyed. As Mr. GLADSTONE very clearly pointed
out in his admirable and luoid statement, the espe-
cial hardship of such a case is that the sufferer has
no means of redressing—no actual claim existing
until after his own death. " When we consider,"
said the right hon. gentleman, " the condition of
those scattered families which have sustained the
loss of their head, we see at once that the position
of the policy holder is almost one of entire helpless-
ness." The hardship of the rules of many of these
societies was also shown by the statistics as to The
lapsed policies. No grecs is given, no allowance
made for the inevitable casualties which
often darken a working man's life, and
cripple his industry. The delay of a few weeks
in the regular payments entails the loss of perhaps
ten or twenty years' savings. Such terms are un-
common among the large companies which deal with
wealthy men. Are they then fair or just as applied
to a man whose best efforts and most untiring in-
dustry cannot prevent the failure of his employer,
fever that lays him low, the accident that breaks a
limb, and leaves it a hard matter for his wife to get
bread for the little ones without paying insurance
premiums. In one friendly society alone out of
86,000 policies made no lees than 18,000 lapsed in
five years. Other conditions often press very hardly
en the members, such as the one which stipulates
that all questions requiring arbitration shall be
settled in London, although it has agents in all
parts of the country. How is a poor man to come
from a distant county to enforce his humble claim
Worse revelations were made by the Chancellor of
the Exchequer in the course of his able speech of
companies whose expenditure exceeds their income
by one-third; of dressed up managers, who are
fined half a crown if they neglect to wear the
diamond rings provided ; but a great number of the
failures of self-governing societies arise from the
want of business knowledge and experience among
the managers. The Government scheme, into the
merits of which we shall enter more fully another
day, deserves a full and fair trial, which we have
no doubt will be accorded to it by the House and
the country after a little further investigation,

When people once engage in a shuffling course
there is no saying where tley will stop, or to
what devices they may resort in order to gain
their point or cover their errors. The excuses

which Ministers put forward relating to the pro

duction of ►he Danish papers are most extraordi-
nary. Every week some new excuse is given, and
they seem pretty determined to try how much
they can do to exhaust the patience of the House,
and fritter away important time, so as at last to
obtain their object. Mr. DISRAELI last night in-
quired of the Premier when these papers. would
he forthcoming. The last division that was received
only came up to the end of January. Since then,
as Mr. DISRAELI reminded the House, there have
been " announcements of an armistice, then of a

Conference, and finally, among other matters
of moment, an invasion of Jut!auti !" The right
hon, gentleman observed that the papers presented
as yet to the House would furnish no particulars
of any of these details ; accordingly, he asked
Lord PALMERSTON whether he intended to submit
to them any papers having reference to these very
important events, and, if so, when they might
expect them. Certainly it would be difficult, if
not next to impossible, to form an estimate of the
present state of things. "or this very reasonable
query the noble lord at the head of the Govern-
ment returned one of his evasive replies, couched in
terra; of such convenient ambiguity that the most
acute observer would lrave found it very difficult
to detect the exact 'meaning or come to a definite
conclusion. He se:ict that there was only one thing
which prev':oted these notifications being pre-
sented co. the House, and that was that
iv,gotiationa were still going on as to a
conference. He therefore explained that as s)on as
these deliberations were brought to a close, he
hoped the Government would be able to afford
the desired information. Of course that means
that some indefinite period must be passed before
there can be any chancs of hon. members receiving
full accounts of the very important transactions
which are now taking place. It is really surprising
how Ministers can trifle any longer with these
matters. From beginning to end there has been
nothing open or straightforward with respect to
the production of these papers. First of all, no
mention was made of them in the R lel Speech ;
this in itself was an omission of so grave a character
that it betokened something very wrong. There
are some things which are conspicuous by their
absence, and of these was the non-appearance of
notice concerning these influential and important
communications. After the discussions relative to
the appearance of the Danish papers, a new and ap-
parently almost insurmountable obstacle sprung up
in the way of their reception. It was told to the
House, and the larger conclave of members who
anxiously awaited them, that a considerable
period
must necessarily elapse before their production.
Some very insufficient reasons were given for this
relay, but the result was the same, and some weeks
went by. Every now and then some one of more
or less weight in the House asked with eagerness
or demanded with energy for some explana-
tion of the cause, or some intimation of the
period of the delay, which was so inconve-
nient and mal apropos. To all these queries
of course some answer was given. Occasionally
the Ministers must have been puzzled to reply, and,
indeed, Lord PALMERSTON
found it so awkward to
play the second part in the eternal catechism that
ho adopted the expedient of absenting himself. At
last this dodge was discovered and announcA to
the House. There was an end put to that proceed-
ing, but still it had served its turn and time was
gained. Now that semo papers have appeared, and
it seemed that curiosity was at last to be satisfied,
and a correct estimate formed respecting the policy
of England to Denmark, another difficulty presents
itself, and a new source of trouble occurs. No more
knowledge must ba received at the present ; thus
far shalt thou read, but no further, has been pro-
nounced by the oracle of the Treasury. When it is
too late to give an opinion that will influence the
course of events, or to suggest an alteration that
might materially benefit the cause of the oppressed,
then it is to be presumed that a full, true, and par-
ticular account will be vouchsafed to the perusal of
hon. members. It comes to this, the Government