Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Tuesday 27 October 1891, page 3


AUSTRALIAN MUTUAL PROVI-

DENT SOCIETY'S NEW OFFICES IN LAUNCESTON.

The Australian Mutual Provident Society has recently commenced operations for the erection of new and handsome offices in Launceston. The building has been de-signed by Messrs. Corrie and North, the architects, in the Florentine Romanesque style of architecture, and will contain, when finished, not only ample accommodation for the Society and its clients, but also several well-appointed suites of offices, which will be let to desirable tenants as opportunity offers. The building will be advantageously situated on the Society's land in Cameron street, Launceston, immediately adjoining the new Post Office, with a frontage of 65ft. to that street, and although of only two stories it will compare most favourably with that building in height. The front elevation of the building, to a height of about 4ft. above the ground, will be of Castlemaine blue stone. The remainder will be executed in a warm brown freestone dressed in white freestone, and embellished with carvings in

Oamaru stone.

The main entrance will be in the centre of

the building. Over the doorway the initials of the Society, A.M.P.S., will be tastefully worked in a monogram, while above this, and surmounting the parapet, the well known crest of the Society with its motto, Amicus certus in re incerta, will be placed. The group of statuary forming the crest will be of marble, and will be carved in Italy. The entrance leads into a large and embellished corridor, having a tesellated pavement and dado. On the left of the corridor the Society's offices will be placed, and entrance thereto will be gained through handsome swing doors. The public office will be a commodious room ; facing the doorway a handsome polished blackwood countor will be placed, with corresponding blackwood fittings throughout.

The pavement of this room will also be tessellated similar to the corridor. At the rear of the public offices the district secre-tary's room will be placed, and attached is a strong room and a room for conducting

medical examinations.

On the right hand side of the corridor is placed a large and well-appointed suite of private offices, consisting of three large and well-lit rooms, with strong room, etc. The first floor is divided into nine commodious

offices, which may be let either singly or in suites as occasion arises, to suit tenants' convenience. On this floor two strongrooms are provided.

Messrs. J. and T. Gunn, of Launceston, are the contractors for the erection of the building, which is to be finished by October next year. The contract price is £4,480.

The history of the A.M.P. Society is well known. Inaugurated in Sydney in the early part of 1849, it has steadily expanded its business throughout the length and breadth of the Australian colonies. Whilst care-fully keeping down its expenses to an ex-tremely low ratio, it has doubled its busi-ness every quinquennium and is now prac-tically the largest life office in the British Dominions. The valuations of its liabilities have been conducted on the most stringent principles, and the amount of profit distri-buted amongst its members has been enor-mous. It has paid in claims, by death or maturity, over £4,500,000. Up to the end of 1890 it had distributed, as cash profits, £4,500,000, the amount distributed for the single year 1890 being £407,535, or over 41.6 per cent, of the premiums actually received that year. Although its operations have always been restricted to the Australian colonies, it has now in force upon its books

over 101,340 policies assuring with bonus ad-ditions, £41,500,000 ; its yearly income is over £1,750,000, and its accumulated funds, all invested in substantial Australian securi-

ties, exceed £10,000,000.

Aa far back as 1855 the Society was re-presented in Hobart and Launceston by local agents. In 1877 the Tasmanian branch was formally opened. The expansion of the Northern business led to the opening, in 1881, of the Northern District Office in Launceston, In 1884 the present handsome branch head office in Hobart was erected, and now the institution is building itself a permanent home in the chiof centre of Northern Tasmania. The progress of the Society in Tasmania has been very marked, and at the end of last year its business in force in this colony was 5,736 policies assur-ing £1,774.553, or nearly £12 2s. per head of the entire population.