INTRODUCTORY 105 
that opportunity may be found to return to their full original 
form later. There was also a summary of the number and 
amount of policies in force. These were taken from the valua- 
tion returns of the Companies. Here occurs a similar difficulty 
to that above described in connexion with the individual 
Companies’ dates of closing the financial year. The majority 
of British Companies make actuarial valuations once in five 
years; some, once in three years; some, annually. It is 
obvious, therefore, that the summaries derived therefrom in any 
year, which are made up from the latest valuation returns made 
by each Company, cannot be precisely accurate. They must 
always be rather understated. Here again, however, for com- 
parative purposes they are sufficiently indicative of the position. 
Having cleared the ground by these explanations, which 
it is feared may have been a little tedious, but which, having 
thus been dealt with, need not for successive statements be 
repeated, it is possible to proceed with the following compara- 
tive table showing numbers and amounts of policies. For the 
figures at the first point after the commencement of the Act’s 
operation no summary is available, but the result has been got 
by addition of the amounts shown in the individual returns. 
After this it is sufficient to go on to the date when the sum- 
maries begin. 
Ordinary 
Assurances 
Year | 
Number 
of 
policies 
Sums assured 
and 
hontses 
1873 
888 
[893 
.808 
1003 
1908 
119 
664,254 
963,522 
1,291,148 
1,759,606 
1,234,565 
> 746,202 
170 404. 
297,425,350 
142,436,266 
300,006,061 
300,590,713 
386,328,174 
167,644,459 
354.982 78K 
Industrial 
Assurances ! 
Number 
of 
policies 
Sums assured 
and 
hones 
1,090,978 
9,412,991 
13,324,778 
17,857,134 
23,870,037 
28,541,625 
7 556.248 
8,092,034 
85,920,639 
28,064,110 
72,649,457 
134,217,606 
285,807,599 
(oR B00 095 
Annuities ~~ 
(immediate and 
deferred) 
Number 
of | 
‘contracts 
Amount 
per 
annum 
11,818 
21,009 
26,506 
37,024 
32,651 
52,333 
0.0468 
x 
197,031 
871,017 
1,127,904 
1,748,372 
2,321,071 
2,758,022 
3’ 181.033 
* Policies, the premiums on which are received at intervals of less than po 
months by means of collectors, As the Table shows, they are of much smaller 
Average amount than the * Ordinary ’ policies.