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THE FUNCTION OF AGENTS.
the problems that confront Insurance Companies. German
Agents are not appointed by British Companies because they
are cheaper, or more industrious, or more efficient than Englishmen. British Insurance Companies have a very natural preference for their own countrymen. It may be
confidently stated that British Companies do invariably
endeavour to appoint British representatives when such
are available, but it happens that business under the
influence of foreign firms carrot always be secured
through the medium of such British Agents.
At the same
time, it has to be added that an Insurance Agency appoint-
ment involves no conferment of patronage or substantial
remineration, indeed, in a very real sense it is the German Agents who may be said to employ the Companies.
·
Agents are business-providers. To a material extent they control the sources of business on which Insurance Companies rely. In many cases the Insurances relate to the Agent's own business, that is to say to business within his own personal control as a merchant or a merchant's agent. In other cases, they relate to
business within his influence. It is sufficiently
obvious that trade within German influence is not, speaking generally, capable of being controlled by English firms for the purpose of Insurance. It is simply for this reason that Insurance Companies are represented
to some extent by German firms in Japan and other countries where German trade influence is important.
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