Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-06-29
r, INSURANCE FOR NOTHING.
 The Ingenious Mutual Benefit Scheme ol a Now York Car Conductor.

-@ Or all the queer schemes of mutual benefit and cooperative insurance associations which he ever knew, a reporter ran across one the other day which Is the queerest, and yet which seems likely to be one of the most effective. The association Is founded upon the extremely novel basis that the persons belonging to 1t and sharing in its benefits don't have to pay anything. This brilliant idea has won for the association q great pop ularity. The man who first thought of the thing is a street-car conductor, and he finds that the business of recording the names of now members and attending to the affairs of the association generally is taking about as much of his time as is his daily occupation of collecting fares. az Z1 gg-.s-s
 THE street-car conductor in question Is John Rogers, of the Grand, Houston, and Forty. second Street Railroad. Mir. Rogers's plan .s this: As many persons as possible record their names as members of the association and elect officers. Committees are appointed, who get printed a great numcer of placards and white and red pasteboard checks. The placards arc bright colored, and are inscribed with various eabalistic symbols signifying the aims and objects of the association. Committees go with the placards and the checks to business houses of all descriptions, stores, saloons, ho- tels, barber shops, lawyers and doctors offices, to all places where men got living by selling anything, and ask permission of tho proprietors to hang tho placards there. It is explained to the proprietors that the men bers of the association will trade where they see the placard, The proprietor generally joy fully assents, and the placard is placed in the storo in 8 conspicuous position. Thon the checks are handed to the boss-the white checks signifying five cents and the rod checks one dollar. When the member or the association makes a placard, he asks the pro- prietor for checks representing the amount 1 of his purchass. The checks don't cost tie l roprietor anything, and he is, of course, wiling to go to the trouble of counting them put 0 his customer. At the end of q certain period three or four months perhaps, tha committee wait upon the proprietor and ask him II he has found that the trade of the asso- citation is worth anything to him, or, in other words, whether the hanging up of the placard +, .s stor:. has increased his sales. If the proprietor finds that the placard has been a benefit to him, he is generally willing to pay l something for the privilege of keeping 1t in ln,ontlls
 THE price asked of the proprietor is | aiWays q small one. Hence comes tho rev que of the association. The checks received l ny the purchasers are turned in by them to
 
 sh, Secretary of the association, and the pur- ,.>ascrs are credited with Q share in the stock of the association proportionnte to their pur- ,hases, ;.s vouched for by the checks. In this way the necessary daily expenditures of tho members are turned into contributions to q | riutual benefit and insurance fund, which
 r,s not itself, therefore, cost the members Q ..nt. The members do not rely solely, in
 !, ,kiny their purchases, upon hunting for stores in which they shall see the friendly pla-
 ssrd displayed: they have list of such stores, and always know where to go.
 l Almost all the employees of the Grand, Houston and Forty-second Street Railroad are at present members of MT. Rogers's asso- sication. Anybody can join the association, and, of course the larger the organization is tho better. The employees of other street railways are joining rapidly. Though the the money in it's treasury amounts tc over $500.