Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1897-08-21
An Interesting Report.

The twenty-second annual meet
ing of the National Convention of
Mutual Life Underwriters has Just
closed its session at Saratoga, N. Y.
The report of the Executive Com
mittee, of which Mr.. George D. Kid
ridge is member, is exceptionally
wide in its scope of observation up
on life insurance matters in general
and the assessment plan in particu-
lar. In making reference to frater-
nal benefit societies the report says:
"The fraternal branch of assess
ment life insurance is still earnestly
engaged with the question of the de-
mands of a sound system. The
thoughtful ones have come to realize
that mere charity fails before the
demands of continuous and unend-
ing condition. Life insurance is des-
tined to meet constant obligation,
not a sporadic demand. 1t must pos
sess form and perpetuity or it fails
to meet the very fundamental con-
ditions of its existence. Fraterna1
insurance has united, under the i'm
petus of a common purpose, a vast
number of earnest men. 1t has full
filled it's task, while that task was
capable of fultllment through the
medium of its crude methods, with
wonder-creating fidelity. 1t has set
itself with thoughtful earnestness to
the task of shaping its future to the
demands of permanence and equity.
In it's success in this movement is
involved the future of tens of thou
sands of families. Its failure would
be a far-reaching misfortune; the
jealousy and rivalry which should
hail such possible failure with salts
faction are nothing less than crime.
The problem which fraternal insur-
ance is trying to solve is the problem
of humanity. The question of its
success or failure interests every
man who believes that the interde-
pendence Of all is still compatible
with the dignity and independence
of each"
STATISTICS.
The committee in its report does
not state, as it should have done, the
separate figures making distinction
between the open assessment compa-
nies and the fraternal benefit soci-
cites. These are all included in the
figures given. The fraterna1s, or
such of them as are represented in
the National Fraternal Congress,
cover nearly one-half of the amounts
of receipts and disbursements and
membership as iternized in the re-
port. The total number of compa-
MES and societies whose statistics
have been compiled by the report is
$50; of these al are fraternal societies
represented in the National Frater-
nal Congress. The committee reports
as follows:
"Our statistics of the business of
the year just closed are in some
measure rendered less satisfactory
than those of former years, by rea-
son of the early date at which the
present session is held. Many re-
ports accessible for the exhibit to be
made at a Fall session, are now un-
attainable. At the same time the
figures are far from insignificant or
such as to give US ground for ques-
tion as to the continued popularity
of the system which, in quarter of
century, has produced the results
indicated by the following exhibit !:
EXHIBIT OF BUSINESS $50 FAR AS REPoRTED)
TO DEC. 81, 1890.
No of commands reporting $50
New members admitted, 1S96 91S,2S4
New insurance written, 1896. d,slS645' 'l4o
Total number of members, close OF
1905 ......... 4,O39. .O62
insurance in force at close of 1896 81 799 42s 900
Amount paid by members, 1896 *So'sSZ'so4
Total income during 1895 .......'. SluS' 'ooS
Total payment to members, 1895 %S,OSO'4S'
Expense conducting business $zs'zoo'ZzS
Assets, invested and otherwise
",oSe Of 1905 ... $62, ,577 5l1