The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-07-13
SOLVENT But MUDDLBD
Policy Holders of the Cit
izens Mutual Life Call
for a State Inves-
tigatioH-
LOCAL CLAIMS UNPAID
The Trouble Said to Be Lack Of In.
surance Experience e-Ex-Sup-
erintendsnt's Complaint.

At meeting of the representatives OF
two hundred policy holders in the Eiti-
zens' Mutual Life Insurance Company
held at No. Oakland avenue last night
1t was resolved to call upon the stats
Superintendent of Banking and Insurance.
"to have an investigation of the conn
pany's books made, and take such meas
ures as will result in the Executive Conn
mittee appointing as General Manager
man who understands the insurancs
business and can protect the interests OK
the policy holders and the company" A
committee consisting of Superintendent
Wilson Agent James H. Crawford and q.
D. Kelly was appointed to take such ac-
ton as may be necessary to protect the
interests of the policy holders in the Ter
sey City district, which includes all OF
Hudson and Essex counties and part OF
Passaic county.
AS the fact that such meeting wax
deemed necessary would imply, the affairs
of the company in this district are in q
badly muddled state. Superintendent
Wilson has been deposed and J. Morton
erode formerly assistant superintendent
of the Prudential Insurance Company in
Hcboken, has been appointed in his place
at salary of SIS a week. Superintendent
Wilson's income during the last year has
been about $1,000. Superintendent Wilson
and the agents under him allege that the
agents and policy holders have been
treated in the same manner that he has.
that, in fact, the reason the Superin-
tendent was ousted was because he conn
planned of the peculiar manner in which
the Home office has been treating this dis
trict. Over $500 in salaries. they allege.
have been withheld from the agents,
while there are s., ,200'i in death claims un-
paid. Those who hold the unpaid policies
are in greatly reduced circumstances and
are badly in need of the money. As for
Superintendent Wilson he has a contract
for ten years with the company as super
intendent of the Jersey City district.
This contract has nine years yet to run
His counsel. Mervyn Armstrong, has in--
stituted suit against the company to test
the validity of the contract and to re-
cover every dollar which 1t provides shall
be paid him.
Mr.. Wilson alleges that the Home
office has purposely entanglcd the affairs
of his Office and ousted him because his
earnings under the contract had become,
in its opinion, too large sum to pay.
The business being now firmly established
they have decided to save money BY
placing lower salaried man in his place.
Upon advice of counsel Mr.. Wilson has
turned over his Office to his appointed
successor, and has established himseh IN
the office of Justice of tho Peace Georgs
Macs, where he viii remain aatiA the af-
fair is Strengthened out.
The Citizens Mutual Life Insurance.
Company has it's Home office in the Real
Estate and Law Building in Atlantic
City. Its President is Congressman John
J. Gardner, who was candidate IN the
last Republican Gubernatorial convention
and who is said to be the logical choice
of the Republican party for Governor az
the coming election.
The present trouble, it is alleged, dates
back seven weeks to the time when
Louis T. Rossiter was appointed State
Supervisor of the company for New Jer-
sey. He made tour of the State for
the purpose of ascertaining the condition
of affairs in each of the districts. After
visiting all the branch offices, in
eluding Mr.. Wilson'S, he made certain
recommendations regarding the districts
which the home Office ignored complete
ly. One of these recommendations, all of
cheney of the field force, was that the
Jersey City district be divided, as It's
business had grown too much fer one
man to handle. and that an office be
established in the lower part of the city.
Because these recommendations We're
not acceded to by the Executive Commit-
Of the company, resigned four weeks ago
and L. c. Albertson, who was book.
keeper in the Home office, was appointed
Superintendent Wilson, when seen this
morning regarding the trouble, saids-
.sYou must understand that the company
hands of men who do not know how to
manage it. None Of the officers at the
Home 9ce of the company now pwo IN
ledge of the insurance business.
and the consequence Is that
agents salaries are unpaid, death claims
that should have been paid have not
been paid and such a state of dissatisfac-
tion has existed as to nearly place the
company in a state Of , collapse. superin,
his agency and all his stan also quit.
leaving the company with no agents in
Elizabeth. Superintendent Smith Of
signed. In this city the agency officers
have retired from the company for the
reason that the company desires business
without paying for it. There is over SEQ
due the agents under me that has not
been paid them.
It used to go to Atlantic City every
agents back with me. This cost me SIS a
trip and as could not afford to pay this
stopped 1t eleven weeks ago When
ceased to collect the money for them the
payments became irregular Since the
first of the year have paid out of my
own pocket over 81, 100 to agents and as
sistarit superintendents for salaries With
held from them. This has never been re- !
funded to me. When I opened the Jer-
sew City district for the company 1t had
no membership here and was not receiv-
ing one dollar of income. established
agents in Jersey City, Paterson, Hoboken.
living territory. At the close of the first
year December /, 1896, the company,s IN
come from this district was about $1,000
Out of that they paid in death csasms
psl152. They are now in receipt OF about
$4,000 annually, in which under the con-
tract I should have share. Stxty-fivn
her cent. of the new business Of the CONF
pany during 1895 and 1896 was sent in
from this district and last year Jersey
City furnished over one-third of its total
income. -
Mr.. Wilson's successor was seen. but
refused to be interviewed regarding the