Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-09-09
The Latest Insurance Wrinkle.

The popularity of cooperative life
insurance, which has been given such
powerful impulse by the United
Workmen, has suggested the forina-
ton of other organizations based
upon the plan of assessment of the
members upon a certain contingent
cy. We have now the marriage in
surauce companies, one of which is
in successful operation in Oregon,
which pays to the members a fixed
sun with which to commence house
keeping, when the conjugal knot is
tied. All unmarried persons are
eligible for membership under q
graded tariff dependent, upon age.
The membership fee and percentage
on The premium constituted the sim
ews of its organization, and pay the
salaries of officers, percentage of
agents and incidental expenses.
When a member is married, all of
his or her class are assessed GER
tain sum, generally one dollar upon
thousand, which amount after
deducting the company's percentage
of from ten to twenty per cent, is
paid TO the happy benedict or the
newly made housewife, as the case
may be. The business is safe one
for the company, and an admirable
arrangement for the persons insured,
provided, Of course, they possess
enough attraction to render them
available candidates for matrimony;
but for those who are without.this
requisite, the prospect is a long and
drsary season of assessments, with a
remote chance of the bread thus
cast upon the waters of the bound
less sea of matrimony ever returning,
unless the candidate has arranged
for large premium, the rates and as
sessments on which are proportion
ately heavy and soon exhaust q
moderately filled purse. The sys-
TEN, is of coures, open to the same
objection which applies to all such
organizations. Those whose lives
are assured may premeditate suicide
at the time of joining, just as q
couple may have arranged to unite
their destinies previous to becoming
members of the marriage insurance
system, in which event, they will
receive the profits at correspond
ingly small cost.
But the latest organization of this
nature is the Mutual Assessment
Birth Association, which was recent
ly born at Laurelton. Pennsylvania.
1t provides that ligitimately married
members, who have been connected
with the company one year, may
have their infants, born after one
years marriage, insured. That is,
they can secure from 81 900 to S.
600 when their infant is born, after
one year of married life. A policy
of $500 costs 81 so, and So 900 only
$24. All members are assessed 81
per annum. If a couple at marriage
take out a policy for 81 600, it would
cost them 50 for the policy and 81
more for the yearly dues; OF the end
OF the year they make another 81
payment of dues, and so on each
year, and 81 assessment is levied
upon them whenever child is born
TO any couple in their class. Upon
the birth of child, they receive the
full face value of their policy. No
extra allowance is made, however,
for twins or triplets, which seems
rather unfair. The rules of the
company prescribe that the child
must be born alive, but its duration
of life is immaterial.
1t is thought that the climax OF
cooperative insurance has been
reached in this progressive movement
of the staid old Quaker State, but as
we live in an age of startling devel'
opments, we can only wait and de-
termiue by actual observation what
the cap-sbeat will be.