Bourne's Handy Assurance Directory, 18813. By William Bourne. (Bourne, Liverpool
and London.)—This volume oontains a collection of matter that has been published from time to time in a periodical conducted by the author, and bearing the title of the Handy Assur- ance Guide. The most important of these contents is the " Extended Table," giving the "Amount of Life Funds," "Policies Issued in the Year," "New Premiums," "Increase or Decrease of Funds," "Life Premium Income," and " Cost " of ninety-seven societies. This is supplemented by abstracts of the " Valuation Returns " of thirty- four out of the ninety-seven. There is one item of information which we would gladly have had above all,—the amount insured. Without this it is difficult to estimate the stability of any concern. Additional tables give interest realised by the various offices, the expectation of life according to the various experiences, an "assurance directory," interest tables, Sco. Some of the facts will interest our readers, and we commend to them this most useful publication. The cost of commission and management varies from 74 85 per oent. to 3.92 per cent. Taking the latest returns (going up, i.e., to some date in 1885), we find the following results, showing the six most cheaply and the six most expensively conducted offices :-
London Life Assurance 4.59 Masonic and General 6225 Equitable 5.73 London and Manchester... 58.38 Metropolitan 5.82 Briton Life 57'64 Clergy Mutual 6.70 Refuge 57.51 Friends' Provident 7-82 United Kingdom 5601 Briton Medical and General 8.71 Blue Ribbon 54'68
Some of these latter are small affairs. Here are the figures of the Prudential (Industrial) :—Life Premium Income, 22,794,522 ; Cost, £1,082,642. The New York earns an income of £2,068,772, at a cost of £519,056; and the Equitable (United States), £2,813,619, for £603,035. Comparing the sums assured and the accumulated funds, we find that it is very rare for the latter to amount to a third of the former.
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