525
holding their agencies is immaterial to them.
In thanghai as in other ports of China many substantial insurance companies of British nationality have placed their agencies with German firme solely with a view to securing
the business of those firms.
During the period of war however many of these insurance companies have themselves admitted the undesirability of
this practice, more especially with regard to marine risks, for it is clear that the German agents are primarily in-
Several compan-
terested in covering risks of German cargo.
ies have temporarily withdrawn their agencies from firms
of German nationality on their own initiative and with a
certainty of loss.
It is also clear that conditions in Chine are not
identical with those obtaining in Japan. Apart from the ques- tion of exterritorial privileges, and the impossibility at
the present juncture of obtaining redress against German
firms in China in their own or in any other Court, a
security against undue assistance to German cargoes has
been assured in Japan by the action of the Government,
The Japanese Government calls for a deposit from all In-
surance Companies operating in territory under its control,
a minimum of Yen 100,000 being demended with a sliding
scale