The Red Cloud chief., 1900-10-05
IN CHINA.
American Companies Unable to Do
Much Business There.

New York Tribune: A general war
in China, no matter how large the
number of victims. would cost the life
insurance companies OF the world a
great deal less than war In n other
country OF Importance. AS a conse-
quence, Monaghan wives and children
have little chance OF receiving insur-
ance money should their bread winner
be numbered among the unfortunate.
The Chinese have made any
great effort to insure their lives. IL Is
true. but those vino tried found 1t al
most as difficult as does the American
negro. II il not the color that the In
surance companies object to. nor do
they consider either race especially
prone to suicide. but there are natural
objections to their being considered
good risks.
There are but three American life
insurance companies which have writ
ten any business in all Asia. one OF
| these has placed most OF us pollcieS
in India, another has made a special
effort in China. but most OF the poll
cies are written on the lives OF white
residents. The total number OF poll
cies written by American companies
for all Asia was only 6,l72, insuring
the holders to the extent Of 1888, l4l,
and on which they paid a total pre-
MUM of S7S0,5 4S. Statistics are not
given OF the number of policies held In
China, but the percentage is small and
the number of policies held by Chinese
smaller still.
Although China is prolific In clubs
and secret societies. none OF them
have life insurance departments. The
fraternal societies for the purpose OF
assistance during sickness and insur-
ance against death Is unknown In the
empire. The societies are mostly po-
litical and too much wrapped up In in
trigues to bother with insurance mat
ters. Some of the societies mix in re-
ligion to the extent Of having a NINA
ture loss house In connection with
their meeting rooms. but do not depart
further from the social or political idea
which the society is supporting. The
members usually say long prayers be-
for embarking or any new business en-
terprise. or taking a new move In the
} tangled game Of Chinese politics, an
they never fail to present the clubs
particular god with a costly offerinf
, when any such undertaking Is brought
to a successful conclusion.
Few of the Chinese living In Amer
, lea have taken out insurance on thei
: lives. The rich merchants who coul'
. afford il think they do no need to lool
: ont for posterity in any such fashion
U and Of course. the poor Chinese ca
not take out endowment policies
ia for the benefit of the poorer classe
hat a mutual insurance society ma
recently been formed in San Francisco
q II is not we'll under way as yet, an
the Chinese of this city do not seem
q he acquainted with the details of tn
4 scheme. 1t is said to be modelled to
q certain extent after a ~well-known II
n surance order.
The first Chinese policy to be wri'
:, ten in this country was issued abe,
=. ten years ago TO a rich Monaghan me
- chant who lived in Montana. I'll
~ company did not care to take the risI
10 and so informed the hustling ageI
Vi who had secured 1t. AS soon as Il
III Chinese found that they did not col
slider him desirable he wanted an IL
surance policy worse than anythiT
else on earth. He told the agent tn
Il he lust had to have 1t. After mut
a correspondence the company said
as would write the policy for an ext
IL premium, and named a figure so hii
b. that the Chinese would not have co
lis sidered II for a moment under orc
nary circumstances, AS 1t was. he a