, 1881-11-04
MARRIAGE INSURANCE.
n <aW plan for Ihe COnsiGeratt of
lnnse MatTimOnia.iy Inciined.

The growing pOpularlIy oi hiiinSO
insurance as a desirable investment, ana
the large and increasing volume OF Dusl-
ness transacted in that respect, may be
regarded as among the marVe!s OF inoo-
ern financial enterprise. AS the busl-
ness is comparatively new. at least IN
this State. and as we are frequently
asked to explain the principles upon
which Il is conducted, the Pacific OUeI'-
seer. ever ready to lay before its readers
the merits of any enterprise calculated
to promote human happiness, sent
representative to the Office OF the North
western Marriage Insurance Company,
of Portland, Or, to interview the Secre-
tarv. Mr.. Gross, with the intention OF
obtaining correct information on the sub
iect. After the interchange of the usual
cOurtesies, our reporter, addressing the
Secretary, whom he found buslly en-
gagged in writing up policies IN response
to the numerous applications before MIN,
commenced hisinquiries. ..
Reporter-Inasmuch as the subject OF
marriage insurance is one OF conslderaDle
public interest, have called to obtain
from you for publication brief outline
of the manner in which such insurance
is effected.
Secretary-I am glad of an opportunity
of giving your many readers the INFORM
alton YOU desire, especially as some adj
verse criticisms of our institution have
appeared in recent communication pub-
lshed in one of the Portland papers
swill therefore briefly state that
policies of from $1,000 TO SlO,-
600 are issued to unmarried persons OF
good moral character upon payment OF
an annual premium of 50 for males
under IS and females under 10, and So
per wear on each $1,000 for all above these
ages. for the first four years, and 81 per
$1,000 annually thereafter during unmar-
ried life. In addition to these annual
premiums, and commencing next Febru-
airy, monthly rates, graded according to
age and ranging from 20 cents to -, Will
also be levied upon each SluOO OF lnsur-
ance, the. average monthly dues being
about 81 80 per $1,000.
Rep.-How and when are policies
payable?
Sec.-They are each payable at the
end of the year in which the respective
holders marry, provided all dues have
been paid as required by the contract.
such final settlement being at the rate OF
25 per cent. for every year from the date
and amount of policy. For example:
James Brown, at the age of "A, takes out
a policy for $1,000, pays So down and
81 30 monthly for u months, in all SS4.
If he married during the last half OF the
year, he will, at the close of that year, be
entitled to and receive 1926, which is 20
per cent. of the amount of his policy,
less four annual payments deducted.
Had he deferred marriage until the sec
ond year, he would have received 90 per
hn IbirJ xraatI TX nor or the
fourth year the full amount, $1,000, and
so on for any other ages or amounts.
Rep.--Do you not think that so large
q profit from so small an Investment will
have tendency TO cause increased fre-
quency of marriage, and even speculation
in large policies.
Sec.-If at all, only to limited ex-
tent, as we accept risks only on those
we'll known to be of good moral charac-
ter; and those insnring for q greater
amount than $4,000 are not allowed to
marry within the first year. Besides,
persons of such character would not be
likely to jeopardize their future happi-
ness simply to gain few hundred dol
lars.
Rep.-Granting the correctness of
your reasoning, we now come to the most
important question of all, viz. its feasi-
bility. Is the financial basis of your
plan of insurance q solid one, and if so,
what have you to offer in proof or illus
tration of the fact?
Sec.-All insurance worthy of the
name is based on what may be termed the
doctrine of average" a system founded
on statistical data, carefully collated
from q wide field, and thus very nearly
approaching mathematical eXactness. In
that connection this company has indus
triously gathered and carefully consid-
cred q large amount of statis-
tical and kindred information on
the subject of marriages and
marriage insurance upon which was
based its present plan of doing business.
The whole thing Is simple enough, al
though 1t requires considerable labor in
preparation. First ascertain the num-
ber out of each thousand who marry in
II months; then it Is easy to adopt
scale of monthly dues to be paid by each
which will aggregate a sum sufficient to
pay to those who may have married the
amounts agreed upon in their respective
policies.
Rep.-As each county clerk keeps
record of marriages, a corfect estimate of
the number that would annually occur
among the uninsured might be easily
made, but l apprehend that the per-
centage would be very materially in
creased under the stimulus of in
surance.
Sec.-Yery true. The annual rate
among the uninsured is about 80 per
thousand, but in order to ascertain the
percentage OF marriage among those in
sured, the experience of the other mar
rage insurance companies, as set forth
IN their reports, furnishes the only relia-
BILE data upon which to base our esti-
mates. The last report which has come
t. hand, that of the original Harrisburg
Company. shows that, of total member
ship of 1900, there were 65 marriages in
eight months, which is little less than
90 per 1000 annually Now for few
figures. Take 1000 policies of $1,000
each, multiply this amount by $3.50, the
average monthly dues, and then by II.
the number of months in year, and we
obtain SIS, 900; divide this last sum by
S226, the amount to which any one mar
rying during the first year would be en-
titled, and the quotient. which is a small
fraction less than so, will represent the
mum ber of marriages in each 1000 which
we would be able to pay annually. This.
you will observe, is 80 in excess of the
actual number which may reasonably be