The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1895-05-15
Magnificent Figures.

selecting dreary, and, oft times, un
important statistical details for our
columns, but, in some rare instances
when they have reached such valu
able as well as stupendous results as
to become phenomenal they excite
our interest and attr4et our atten-
ton. Our patrons will fnd this to
be the case in the following brief,
but highly important and interest
ing sketch of one of the graudest
and strongest institutions of the
world, which we clip from a late
issue of "The Financier" of New
York. 1t says:
Beginning only little more than
fifty years ago, without dollar OF
capital or assets, The Mutual Life
Insurance Company of this city has
attained such wonderful develop
ment that it paid last year for death
claims alone S11, 800, 900, and abont
Il millions more for matured en-
dOwnments, annuities, etc its total
disbursement for these items aggte
eating S21 ,889, 257. These payments
were scattered over every State and
Territory in the Union, and it is
hardly necessary to add that, with
few exceptions, they came at time
in the history of each individual re
cipient when, above all others, they
were most needed, and therefore ac
complished the most good-when
in most instances the regular source
of provision for the household bad
been cut off.
Perhaps the magnitude of its dis
bursement will be better appreciated
when it is stated that they were
more than one half as large as the
total interest payments of the Uni
ted States Government last year; in
other words, the holders of all tue
Government bonds outstanding re
ceived less than double the amount
paid by The Mutual Life on account
of death claims and matured endow
ments alone, to say nothing of the
distributions in the form of divi
dends, annui!ies, etc. The aggre
gate disbursements for all purposes
were more than five millions in ex-
cess of the total interest payments
by the Government. But taking
the figures as stated in the table
given above, the Company distri
buted an average of more than a
quarter of million dollars every
week; and allowing eight hours for
days work-the banks are open
five hours-it meant the payment
of over 43 thousand dollars for every
business day of the year. Follow
ing the payments down for still
shorter periods, we find that for
every second OF the entire business
year the average disbursements
were 81 46. Here is the statement:
Total of death claims and matu-
red endowments in 1891 .....-.. $l3.4lG65l D
Average amount paid each week 2jS,pl2 ~
Average amount for every bust
Average for every minute of the
Average for every second in the :
Continuing the comparison with
United States Government figures,
the aggregate interest bearing debt,
including the bonds just sold but
not yet delivered, is less by over
hundred millions, than the amount
of insurance and annuities of The
Mutual Life in force at the begin
ming of this year-its existing con-
tracts for future payments exceed
by that amount Q10 millions) the
total Government debt bearing in
terest. To meet this enormous sum
as it natures, the Company has
about 81 millions invested in Gov
ernment bonds and other securities;
over Il millions is in loans secured
by first liens on real estate; 81 mil
lions more is in real estate owned
and producing revenue; 81 millions
is cash, and other items make up a
total of S204,63S, 7S4, representing
the Company's assets on January l,
1895.
These figures are SO startling as
TO convince the most incredulous
thatit is the best managed as well
as the largest and strongest compa
ny in the world to day, and stands
as a monument to American genius
and American stamina. They also
teach us the important fact that il
is one thing to be insured, but it is
quite another matter to be Insured
safely and honestly.
Governor MacCorkle, as Comman-
derin Chief of the West Virginia
National Guard, has made applica-
ton to the Secretary of War for
four years detail of Maj. S. NJ
Whi'eside, Seventh United States
Cavalry, in the service of the West
Virginia National Guard. If Maj
Whiteside is detailed TO West Yir