Fire Insurance Statistics

The National Board of Firg UnderwriterB was In hesSion in ííew Yort last week. The President, in an address, remarked that not one dollar had been lost to the public through the failure of any member of the organization, and this was owing t,o adherenoe to the rules and decisions. Capital employed for the year shows an increasë froto $55,883,020 to $56,623,440, upon which a dividend of 13.67 per cent. was paid. The aggregate of premiums received for the year 1876 was $45,173,275, against $49,808,256 for the previous year. The decline in premiums was $4,634,981. The losses were $23, 118, 183. for 1876, against $24,076,604 for 1875. The decline in losses is $958,421. The loss l'atio has thtts ilicreased from 48.33 to 51.17 per cent. This indicates either that the average i ate of premium is decreasing or the losses increasing. The percentage of losses paid to premiums received was, for New York State companies, 49.17 per cent.; companies of other States, 52. 79 per cent. , and f oreign companies 47. 13 per cent. The number of local boards at the present time is 1,217, with a membership of 9,508 agents. The increase in the number of boards is 106, and in members 506. thePresiaênt saiT LfiaLli&Tr'ee yearagB subscriptions were begun to a fund for the cOnViction and ptinishment of incendiaries, and, since that time, a large number of rewards for conviction have been paid. The number of rewards offered from April 1, 1876, to April 1, 1877, is 161, amounting to $59,990. Twenty-one convictions have been secured during the year.