The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-25
pRING sHoRTENs LIFE.
ActuarTea SO Decide-Big Life Hnsur- ance Companies About to Favor
 Total AbstaineFH.


 New York Tribune.
 The big life insurance companies are about to given special low rates for ltfe insurance to those who are total ab- stainers in the matter of spirituous ana malt liduors. As is we'll known, it has always been a moot question whether or not a small amount of spirituous or malt liquor was wholesome as a food. There have been strong partisans on both sides of the question. and not a great while ago an article was publish ed in one of the leading magazines and republished in various other periodicals urging strongly that moderate amount of alcohol was wholesome as a food. In fact, the authorities contend ing that moderate drinkers as a class lived longer than the total abstainers seem to have been in the majority, and the total abstainers generally have been considered extremists.
 The total abstainers, 1t would seem, are about to secure an important piece of evidence in favor of their contention in the action which a number of the large life insurance companies are about to take. This consists of the issuance of life insurance policies to those who are total abstalners at pre- miums which are considerably below those charged to moderate drinkers of the same age. The companies do not issue policies at all to immoderate drinkers when they are acquainted with the facts.
 The companies have approached this subject without prejudice, as 1t Is merely a matter of dollars and cents with them. A number of actuaries and medical directors have been work ing on the statistics for several years. and from the records of the experience of a large number of life companies several of the authorities have come to the conclusion that the total abstain CTS as a class live longer by from 20 to 50 per cent than the moderate drinkers as a class.
 One medical authority at least admits that there iS a time in a mans life when a small amount of alcoholic beverage Is beneficial, but says that this time on an average Is not until the man reaches the age of seventy-f1ve years.
 The views of some of these authori- ties have been published recently, and 1t is known in life insurance circles that a number of the companies are now working on the figures, and ex- pect shortly to offer a policy to total abstainers at considerable reduction in cost.
 AhpAG 1AG @ VI aGkdA1S Nu work out before the policies are actual ly offered to the public. One of these is the danger that man who is a total abstainer when he takes out the policy may become a moderate, or perhaps im- moderate. drinker fin the future, which would upset the figures of the company if this should happen to many of the holders of such policies. It is be- lieVed, however, that this problem can be solved in several ways. One of these Is that the application for the policy should contain a warranty that the applicant would never thereafter become thinker of alcoholic or malt beverages. the effect of which would be that if he violated the warranty the policy would be void
 The companies have also discussed a plan of including a provision that if the man should become a drlnker after taking out the special policy the amount payable under the policy should be such a sum as the amount of pre- miums paid would have purchased if the man had not been a total abstainer.