The Indianapolis journal., 1902-12-12
INSURANCE NEWS AND
NOTES

ton he expressed himself as very desirous
that the case should be reviewed by a
higher court. and that the plaintiff should
give every assistance to the defendant in
order to get the facts before the court.
This would seem to show that the vice
chancellor was somewhat doubtful of the
correctness of his decision.
XXX
a Boston company has organized the
Mothers Birthday Club, which will estab-
lish fund from which members will get a
birthday Gift in the event of the birth of
livirg child Only married women of
good moral character are to be admitted
to memb bership, and each application will
be passed upon by membership commit
tee of well-known persons associated with
women's work. The premiums not to
be more than So a month, and the amount
received back will vary from $500 to $500.
The Illinois Supreme Court has lately
held that all of the funds of fraternal in
surance orders liable to taxation,
though there may be death claims out
standing against them, or checks for death
claims issued. The chief sufferer will be
the Knights of Pythias, which is endeavor-
ing to accumulate reserve and expects
the taxes are levied. The case may be
taken TO the United States Supreme Court,
and this must be done by the Knights of
ganization chartered by Congress. and.
therefore. having power to transfer its
| cases to the federal courts.
A life insurance swindler has been work.
ing general agents in the large cities. His
method is to go to the general agent of a
company, get the rates for commission.
and ask for a rate book and application
| blanks, saying that he is staying for
short time in the city and thinks he can
write up few of his friends. He will
frrrr, In, for
| the policies are to be paid for on delivery;
| he then states that he is short of money
and asks for a small loan to help him
along till the policies are paid for He
never returns and the applications are
| forged.
| The Methodist churches in New York have
| been making vigorous efforts to obtain a
| fund of 100000 to support their worn-out
| ministers The salaries of the most of them
are so small that it is almost impossible
| for a minister to save enough for his de-
clining years or take out insurance for him
sell; 1t Is somewhat surprising that enter
prising insurance companies have not
| evolved plan by which the churches them
selves could pension their superannuated
ministers by endowment insurance or an
nuities, which would be less burdensome
! TO the church than to solicit subscriptions
| for large fund.
| The remedy by which Superintendent
|
State Of wild cat insurance companies
| is for decree of custer of the companies,
| with permanent Injunction against such
| companies doing business in the State, and
a fine of $4,000 against each concern. If
ing the agent who delivers the policy re-
| sponsible for the payment Of the losses
| which occur on policies issued by such con-
Germs or by companies not authorized to
| do business in the State, he could feel rea-
| sonably sure that the evils he is fighting
would soon disappear
| book of some 400 pages, entitled "In-
surance and Crime" and written by an
author Of remarkable imagination but
rather deficient reasoning powers. has re-
| Gently made its appearance in New York.
! The author believes that insurance has
| provoked people to fraud and forgery and
\ to all sorts of dangerous conspiracies; that
| ii has made arson trade and murder a
| fine art; and he gives many interesting
examples OF extraordinary crimes commit
| ted to get insurance. 1t is undoubtedly
soqe sor cre 1ha enere e MANY
| business, but so there are with every large
| business. and there is no more reason for
i decrying the insurance business for pro-
| veking criminals than there is for blaming
| railroads for melting hold-ups and max
| ing safe-breaking a fine art, or from con-
| sidering forgery as one OF the evils of
/ banking The author even goes so far as
/ to say that 1.-The decentralization which re-
| suits from this constant temptation to evil
| threatens at times almost the very life of
| society" 1t is evident that he has made
/ no comparison of the number of people
| and buildings insured with the number
/ of crimes committed for insurance which
/ would quickly show him that the percent
/ age Of crimes committed In this connection
/ Is infnitesimal. Furthermore, the author
| seems to think that the insurance compa-
| MES are willing to encourage fraud; that
| they are perfectly willing TO pay money
| gained from honest people and paid to In
| that the companies use every effort to run
down incendiaries and contest fraudulent
claims. even to the point of making them
| selves misunderstood by the public II
| is not probable the book will do much
harm, for the majority OF those who would
read book relating 10 insurance would
have enough intelligence to discern the
| slight basis OF facts on which this book
Is founded