Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1897-12-08

man and women-in the United States
day for a year. summary of the total pre-
miums paid annually in the United States,
in paymenso of losses, and the balance re-
naming, accounted for as expenses or &C
assuredly set their slow wits to running
in the direction of devising some method
economical course could be corrected.
Statistics are usually dry reading, and per-
haps this may in part account for the in.
difference and lethargy shown by the mass
of the people upon so important subject.
If all the people could realize that we are
paying over one hundred and thirty-three
million dollars annually for our insurance
more than it really and necessarily costs.
they would never rest until better way was
found.
Let US look at a few figures near at home:
For the year 1896 Iowa, with it's I, 81. geo in
habitants, paid, so says your in surance com
missioner in his report, for fire and life in
surance, SIPS, 900, and received back in
losses paid $3.50, eco, leaving $4,54S. 900 to
be accounted for. Cor convenience only
round numbers will be used, leaving odd
dollars and cents off,
Missouri, with 2,679, 900 people, paid
$12, 472, 900 premiums; received So, 49,
600 for losses-balance So, 291 900.
Illinois, with $4,000 people, paid
$50, $3.50, 900; received $1O,944 ,eOO-ba1-
ance $12 ,O36, 900.
Kansas, with 1,427 200 people, paid
So, 100000; received $1,371, 700 bal
ance $1,789,000. (This is exclusive of
home Mutual and Fraterna1 Societies.)
Total for four states, with a popula-
ton of 9,843 900 census of 1900 paid
in premiums $45, $40, 900; received on
losses $50, 976, 0OO-leaving balance
in the disappearing fund of $24, Co.,
900, or, s.. 10 per capita. Estimating
that the four states named represent a
fair average, we find that the entire
United States, with it's 81, 100000 in
habitants, contributes annually to this
expense and profit fund, So. - each, or
nearly 1888, 100000.
What shall we do about it? Continue
blindly paying this vast tribute on &C
count of our ignorance? l trust not.
The Mutual Fire Companies, such as
you represent here, and the Fraterna1
Life Associations, are evidences that
the people are rapidly awakening to
the Importance of the subject, and are
making heroic, and in a limited meas
ure, successful efforts to stem the tide
of waste that has so long undermined
our prosperity.
A few years ago the superintendent
of Missouri made the complaint that
for twenty five years steady stream
of 81, 100000 per year had been drawn
from that state by outside insurance
companies, never to return except as
| AOSihoS VI q wing AhlSASSls OllC Gu
million dollars in twenty-five years
withdrawn from a single state. Look
ing at the census reports of mortgage
Indebtedness for 1890 we find Missouri
charged with $1O4 ,OOO, 900 of farm mort
cages; how closely the figures tally
cause and effect. Wastefu1 indiffer-
ence at one end, want and loss at the
other.
1t is always easy to criticise; not
often so easy to point out an adequate
remedy. This convention is the out
come of a proposed and practical
remedy, so far as fire insurance is con
cerned.
The state of Iowa, by its energetic
yeomanary, who are the state, has
made most commendab1e progress in
solving the problem of minimizing
the cost of farm, fire and wind-storm
insurance.
For quarter of a century intelligent
patriotic men have striven to protect
their interests by the organization OF
county and local farm mutua1s. They
were at first met with ridicu1e,-the
advocates of old line insurance fout.
ing the idea of plain farmers succeed
ing at anything so intricate as insur
ance. But gradually they have grown
in favor until today 149 companies
operating in Iowa, carry 800, 600,
600 in risks, at vast annual saving
while at least 1000 others are render
ing similar services in other states
So far well and good, but is the
problem solved, or apparently any
nearer solution than it was thirty
years ago? Your Iowa commissioner
reports that while you have succeeded
with your 149 companies in writing
S24 100000 of business in Iowa, in
1896, the old line companies wrote
S24S 100000. Kansas has ten mutua1s
. carrying S14,632 900, but they only
wrote up 81, So, 900 in 1896, while its
sixty old line companies, all outside OF
the state except one, wrote $128, O21,
600.
In other words, the mutua1s, after
thirty years of education, were onl,
doing IN Kansas one-thirty-first par
: of the business, and in Iowa less thar