The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-22
Colored Persons as Insurance Risks

Colored Persons as Insurance Risks
Is the cOlored person a bad life insur-
| ance risk2 The leading insurance COM
panies think so, therefore those of them
that accept risks on the lives of colored
| persons charge larger premiums than
! upon the lives of white persons. This
| difference in charges is, very naturally,
| objected to by colored people who wish to
avail themselve of insurance. The OBJ
| lection recently took the shape of bill
before the New Jersey legislature pro-
hibiting insurance companies from dis
| eliminating between the races in the
matter of charges. The bill passed the
| legislature, but was vetoed by the
governor. In his veto message Gov.
Werts said: Il apprehend that the
practical operations of the bill would
prove disadvantageous to the colored
race, that its effect would be denial to
them of insurance in first-class companies.
If there be companies, as alleged, which
make no discrimination, this law is I'M
called for as to Others. If there be COM
panies that do discriminate the compe-
tition of the others will soon compel an
u1StIlIl-
nations be founded upon substantial
grounds"
These reasons the governor deemed suf-
fcient to warrant the veto. However, he
sent with his message a statement pre-
pared by the actuary of a well-known
| company, which demonstrated the fact
that mo discrimination" against colored
persons would really result in discrimina-
ton against white persons. Statistics of
mortality carefully compiled from 1888 to
1891, inclusive, shows that the death rate
among colored persons is TGry much
greater than among whites; therefore. if
discrimination in rates should be pro-
hibited, general advance in insurance
rates would follow-the whites insured
would have to pay for the insurance of
the blacks.
Under the present system, the compa-
MES that write insurance for colored per
sons give them 6625 per cent. of the
benefit granted to whites for the same
premium; and even on that basis it is
believed that the companies find that the
business is not as profitable as their bust
ness with white people From this state
ment alone it will be seen that discrimi-
nation would result from the passage of
| a so-called mo discrimina tom insurance
law
The mortality statistics referred to
include the following interesting compari-
! sons of death rates per 200 of popula
tion, in southern cities for the year 1891
! Savannah-white, 2075; colored. IS. Is:
Bichmond-white, 1884; colored, g. so:
Mobile-white, Il 81 ;scolored, "a. 25; An
niston-white, II. 70; colored. 20. 50; Birm-
ingham-white, 1855; colored, 1884:
New Orlcans-white, % 81; colored, 50. OF.
A statistician delving into the mortal
ity figures of dozen or more cities has
discovered that there has. in the past
twenty years, been a surprising increase
in the number of suicides in excess of the
proportionate increase of population. Be
tween the years 1870 and 1890 by Swear
periods, he says, 1.-The ratio of total NOR
tally to 1 suicide in New York de-
creased from POS in the first five years to
165 to l in the last FIVE; that of Philadel-
phia from 3l5 to 300 to l Cincinnati from
1917 to 13S to / Baltimore, from 465 to 27O
to |. The number of suicides in New
York from 1871 to 1890, inclusive, in
creased from III during the first five years
to l,lSS during the last five; in Philadel-
phia, from 263 to 456; Cincinnati.
from 134 to 224; Baltimore, from so
TO 1861 To find an explanation for the
increased number of suicides and to sug-
gest remedy must be left to specialists
in psychiatry.
The newspaper men Of Chicago are feel.