The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-11
ROYAL ARCANUM INSURANCE.
HIGHER RATES RECENTLY FINED
EXCITE CRITICISM.
Monthly Dues for Persons Over 8S Years
Old on - 900 Policy Increased From
0lO.0S to 0l6.OS-A Supreme COun.
Gil Representative Makes Defense.

Gil Representative Makes Defense.
The new schedule Of insuranc rates
promulgated by the Supreme Council Of the
Royal Arcanum at Its recent annual meet
Ing, held in Atlantic City, May 1927 last,
has stirred up much dissatisfaction among
q large number Of members Of the order.
The older ones IN particular-those who
como within DR.. Osler's choroform limit
are, many OF them, loud In their protests.
Tho new order OF things increased the
monthly dues for persons over IS years
from Sl0.es to Sle.0s. Those who have
been members OF the Aroanum for long
term Of years And this particularly hard.
OF the 500, 900 Arcanum members 1885
have reached this e5 year limit. Their
argument Is that. having paid their dues
for 30 many years and having helped to
build up the organization, it is unfair to
suddenly jump up the price they must
pay for continued insurance and to jump
1t up at time of life when no other in
suranoe company would accept them.
Although the full text of the revised rate
schedule has not been spread before men,
bers of the order for them to fully grasp
It's meaning in all Its branches, enough
is known of it's general tenor to cause a
storm Of protest from all quarters, and the
1905 Supreme Representatives who make
up the Supreme Council are coming In for
q good deal Of sharp criticism.
1t Is predicted by some that the result
will be to send down the total membership
to a lower point than it reached even in
1898, when the assessments levied were
increased from fifteen to twenty-one per
year. and when the membership roll
dropped to its lowest point In recent years.
The Regular monthly meeting OF Regents
and Past Regents of the ortlerwas held in
the Silver Building, Washington street,
Brooklyn, last evening. At this meeting
Ave supreme representatives who at
tended the Atlantic City Supreme Council
handed in their report and debate was
toward midnight without any particular
result for those who were dissatisfied
with the new schedule.
W. w. Sheffield, who was one Of the
supreme representatives present at the
meeting, said:
City were the result OF many years of work
and they represent the highest skill il The
insurance business. The simple fact is
that the Royal Arcanum has been con-
Quoting Its business on a basis on which
no insurance business can be conducted
years to find this out and to find out on
what rate basis we could do business and
maintain our existence.
'The result OF that experience and Of
over four years OF hard study is the series
Of rate tables adopted at Atlantic City.
We have a reserve fund Of about 81, 900, OOe,
and it was only by giving. the older mem
that fund out and applying it to the uses
OF the order-it was only by doing this that
tho monthly dues for members 6s years Of
age on a So, 900 policy we're kept down to
where they are, Slo.0s. But for the use OF
the reserve fund in that way the monthly
dues for such members would have been
little over S22
sThere u dissatisfaction among some
OF these older members md 1t Is perhaps
natural that there shouh be. 1t Is true
that many Of them have belonged to the
order for great number Of years and have
paid their dues regularly. But 1t Is also
true that during all those years their fami-
lies had the benefit OF beirg protected by the
order to the extent Of Tho money on which
they paid dues. That Il least should be
considered by them In estimating the exact
extent Of their grievancetrom the increased
rates."