The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-08-17
Mutual Aid associations.
Kdlton OF the IntellIscncOr.

Editors OF the IntellIecneer.
In your publication Of the 14th inst
there is communication from MIR. q. @.
ulrich on the sub ject ol Mutual Aid as
sociaiions. Alluding to the death rate"
he states: --.-1.. =. -r,...---. -.
"The insurance companies calculate,
ssy six per thousand on persons OF GOOD
health between 25 and 90 years. Hence
the premium or assessment on 600 such,
members could not we'll amount TO more
than $l2 80 per annum. This experience
has proved 10 be correct, to which the
Odd Fellows Mutual Aid ASSOCIATION of
this city gives evidence" - Al
l would inter from the closing remarks,
that Mr.. Ulrich has made the subject OF
lie insurance his special study"
To prevent misconceptioD, i would hero
state that 1regard the Mutual Aid Asso-
citation lately organized as benevolent
inltitution, creditable to Ito founders, and
calculated to be Of great benefit to the
families Of those for whose good 1t is de-
signed. 1zhope 1t will prove q success
But the death rate" as 1t Is termed
which Is given, differs 80 widely from
well known facts, that 1t would seem as
II some typographical error had been
made. %
But what Lie Insurance Companies
make the calculations referred TOT Where
are the authorities TO be founde Whose
experiences has proven this to be correctP
Where Is there anything to support it in
the experience Of the Odd Fellows Mu-
tual Aid Association The Odd Fellows
Mutual Aid ol this city does not contain
a sufficient number Of members TO be OF
the least value in regard to statistical cal.
culationg, for what actuary would base q
table Of mortality, upon q company hav-
ing only about $40 members? But II Mr..
o. desires 10 to make an authority of the
Odd Fellows Mutual Aid, let him do II
in this wsy:-FIrst, ascertain the num-
ber of It's members on the books, upon
the lat dEy-of August 1873. Next the
number who have died between that date
and tho 1st Of August 1874 Multiply
1000 by the number Of deaths, and d.
vide the product by the number Of mem
bers on August 1St 1873, the quotient viii
be the annual rate OF deaths for 1000
Notwithstanding to the experience oi
the Mutual Aid OF Wheeling. But II six
persons in one thousand, between the
ages Of 25 and so, die each year, what
would be the death rate on 1000 aged %
and what would II be on ], 600 aged sol
To prove tho Absurdity Of the above
death rate" let US assume that the calcu.
Ilation Is correct; that 1000 healthy mer
are living at the age Of 40; six Of these
will die every year, There would be 99l
living at the end Of the first year, 400 al
the end ol 100 years. and at the
end Of 1856 years. These venerable sur
viyors would then have attained the pa
tfiarchal age OF 200 yearsl This mus
happen II the death rate alluded to Is cor
rect. In the published proceedings o
the Grand Lodge Of the United States
| I. o. o, F., for 1873, page 5906, thereis I
very able report Of . special committee
on Mutual Aid Associations. 1t Is writ
ten by Representative Harmon, Of Cali
iornia, and signed by P. G.. Sire Nichol.
son. The author evidently understood
his subject make . brief extract
"Here are the deaths that have been OBJ
served 10 take place among ten THOUSAND
members at different ages, and the aver
age duration oil lie at each sge: