Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-28
Living Figures In the Annual State
ment of the Metropolitan Life

The yearly compilation of statistics
published by the metropolitan Life In
surance company is never dry reading.
A summary OF that company's business
for the year 1905, just issued, tabu-
lates astounding figures in the concise
manner approved by accountants, and
supplements, them with clear and
lucid analysis for the benefit of people
who are not accountants.
After placing before us compre-
henSive statement of the company'S
general condition, and presenting a Sc
ries of comparative items, the Metro
politan reminds us again that the num-
Der of It's policyholders (now increased
equals the combined population of our
eight largest cities. In other words, If
the companys. policies now in force
We're all placed in New York. Chicago,
philadelphia, Boston, ST. Louis, Cleve-
land, Cincinnati and Milwaukee, every
man, woman and child in these commu-
mites would possess one.
Men now living remember when the.
whole United States could hardly have
supplied so vast number of insurable
persons. Even at this day there are
whose combined population does not
equal the number of people carrying
insurance in this one great company.
we are informed that nineteen thou
service at the end of 1906. If one adult
breadwinner represents five individuals
IN the total population, we must con-
clude that nearly a hundred thousand
persons draw subsistence from this in
Stitution-not in insurance benefits, but
in direct payment for service to the
company.
This army of nineteen thousand en-
ployes evidently includes no drones.
During the year just closed it handled
daily average OF one and half mill
ion dollars In new business alone. The
company issued on the average nearly
seven thousand new policies every bust
ness day during the same twelve
months.
4 single item which illustrates
graphically the real meaning and pur-
pose of all this tremendous business is
that relating to insurance claims paid
nu nra the ye ar These amounted to
some one received from the Metropoli-
tan Life in benefits one hundred and
SIX dollars every minute of every bust
ness day of eight hours throughout the
year
Again. the uncertainty of life and
health, and the universal need of life
insurance are most impressively en-
phasized in the statement that 15,14S
policies paid within the year 1904 had
been in force less than twelve months:
and that 1926 of these policies were
the time the, were issued.
The Metropolitan Life began the year
1906 with assets of more than one hun
dred and fifty million dollars. showing
GIL NV SuoS VI = tlldH twenty
million dollars over the preceding
twelve months. This evidence of ample
and increasing strength is a most sat
isfactory thing for poiicyholders to con-
template. and it is a further cause for
satisfaction that the largest years bus
mess in the company's history was
transacted at a lower ratio of expense
than has ever been reached in previous
years.
The company directs particular at
tetntion to the fact that it does not
issue Tontine or deferred dividend"
policies, nor any. form of contract which
fails to specify in exact terms what the
insured is to pay in premiums and what
he is to receive in benefits. That the
simplicity of it's contract agreements is
a popular feature will not be ques-
toned in the light of facts above noted.
Many items in the company's sum
mary have not been touched upon for
lack of space, but the document itself
will be widely circulated. and ones
time can hardly be utilized to better
purpose than in the careful and reflect
i've reading of it's entire contents from
beginning to end