The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-08-01
ARCANUM RATES DISCUSSED.
Loantakag Council'sI Committee Meet
with Grand Ofncers.

iLoaubakaa COunclASS 81 COMMITTEES nOSO
with Grand OfIlcers.
Some weeks ago when the question
of increase in Arcanum rates was an
nounced, Justice Mahlon Pitney gave
some attention to the matter and
spoke on the subject before Loantaka
Council. To get at the matter more
fully, Justice Pitney, former Judge
Cutler and Ira Mowery were appointed
a special committee to make a
thorough investigation and report to
the Council and also to attend the
conference of Councils TO be held the
3lst of July. On Thursday the Com
mittee met at Justice Pitney's office,
with representatives present from the
Rockaway and Dover Councils. On
invitation Of the Committee and that
it might have every opportunity to
know the condition of the order and
to understand the means and method
employed in ascertaining the mortali-
ty experience of the order and deduc-
ing the new rates, Supreme Regent
Howard g. Wigging, Of Rome, N. r.,
sent to meet this committee Past Su-
preme Regent w. Holt Apgar, Of
Trenton, and William F. Barnard, Of
Syracuse, N. Y, the actuary who
graduated the mortality experience Of
the order, thus preparing the mortali-
ty table, and who deduced therefrom
the new rates as promulgated.
A so-called report of the meeting ap
peared in the Newark News" Fri
day evening. While in the main it
gave fair report of the proceedings
it was not inspired by any member OF
the local committee and is in no sense
an expression of their views as a COM
mittee. In fact, no conference of the
Committee has since been held and
what the report to the Council will be
has not been decided. Practically the
members of the Committee feel that
taking the statements and tables OF
the actuary it is manifested that the
rates had been too low before, and in
order to be safe it will be necessary to
increase them. 1t is stated in the
News that Justice Pitney expressed
himself upon the legal question to the
effect that he at first had thought
that possibly the contract could not
be varied as it had, but as he had
studied the question he was absolutely
convinced that it would be impossible
for the Royal Arcanum to fulfil its
promises made to the members as tc
the sums that should be paid to theil
beneticiaries under the present assess
ment, and unless new, adequate and
equitable rates, such as the supreme
council had adopted at its session in
May, were put into effect, the order
was doomed. He said that it was
good law that contract that was i'm
possible to perform could not be en-
forced, and that he believed that the
change being so necessary would stand
legal scrutiny.
This opinion is regarded as of great
weight from legal standpoint, and
especially as it comedies with the
Judgment and decision of United
States District Court Judge William
M. Lanning in Trenton, when the
Catholic Benevolent Legion was
brought into court on an attempt tc
secure an Injunction restraining il
from putting into effect its new rates
The condition Of the order being de
monstrated Judge Lanning refused tC
grant preliminary injunction anc
dismissed the bill.
Justice Pitney says he gave no opin
ion as a Judge or lawyer on the legal
ity of the contract. He simply reiter
ated the common sense view that ex
pressed in the meeting Of the Council
that the order could not be compelled
to do an impossibility.
1t is plain to be seen from the arti
Gle in the {" News" that it is intended
to influence other Councils, and is in q
sense unfair. 1t was also published il
the Trenton Times.v