The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-02-10
DECISIONS AND IMPETUS
TO FIsATERNAL BILL.
Favorable Attitude of New York In.
surance Department Gives In
.creasing Force to Mea-
NuFe


been given to the uniform bill fol
the conservation Of fraternal insur
Rnce which already has been intro
duced in several state legislatures
according to reports to Chicago
headquarters of the joint committee
of the big fraternal declarations
which have endorsed and are sup
porting the measure, by the recent
decisions Of the insurance depart
ment of the state of New York in re
gard to the Ancient Order of United
Workmen and the Knights of Pyth-
las The cancellation of charter in
other states of societies found to be
weak or ill-managed and rumors of
mergers pending or proposed quite
as unsavory as that disclosed in the
case of the Fraternal Tribunes of
Rock Island Illinois, also have for
warded the measure.
The advocacy by the insurance
commissioners and the more reput-
able fraternal societies is met only
by scattered opposition from societies
which find they will not be able to
survive the revelation to their men,
bers of the true financial condition
of the societies.
During the recent state convention
H. RI H.
Hon. John A. Hartigan, recently in
surance commissioner of that state.
liz an address said: THE fraternal
system itself is on trial SO far as its
permanency is concerned. I shall
not attempt to point out to you the
great benefits that have been be-
slowed by these societies, because if
the system as whole fail these
benefits will be more than offset by
the ensuing disappointments and
losses.
No system has yet been devised
by which any institution can pay out
more money than it takes in, and as
death losses increase payment from
the members must increase unless a
fund has already been accumulated
to take care of this increasing cost.
Nearly one-half of the insurance
carried in this country is in frater-
nal societies. The total of the obli-
cations of these societies is enorm-
Gus and the present assets entirely
inadequate to meet the demands
which must eventually be made up
on them. The situation is a most
serious one. See that your
representatives and senators in
the legislature each knows what
your attitude is, that he knows that
every real friend of the fraternal sys-
tenn Is in favor Of the uniform bill,
and more will have been done for
the fraternal protective system than
has ever before been accomplished. :"
In statement issued by Charles
e. Piper, chairman Of the joint COM
mittee of the big fraternal fedora
lions, he said: Reports from var
ious states to the Joint committee
representing the National Fraternal
Congress and the Associated Fra
ternities of America show that the
bill as adopted at Mobile bids fair to
become the law of many states at an
early date. The bill has ben intro
duced in many state legislatures and
the commissioners generally are ac-
cepting the bill verbatim as adopted
at Mobile. The fraternalists in the
main are giving much support to the
passage of the measures, although in
a few states local opposition has de-
veloped on the part of some small So
cieties which feel that their particu-
lar and immediate interests are not
adequately protected. The opposi:
ton, however, is not of Importance.
Indications that q fight is on IL
Massachusetts are given by Mr.. Pi
per. He said: Sin Massachusetts
Commissioner Hardison in his an
xiety to care for number OF organ
izations, particularly accident soci
cites, local to that state, has mad
number of important changes II
the bill agreed upon by the insuranc
commissioners convention. HIS bill
Is designed to allow the class of sc
cieties referred to. to transact busi
ness as fraternals without reqMirin
them to conform to the RESTRICTIVE
provisions Of the bill. In const
Quence OF the changes. which are $
material, the fraternals In that stat
viii oppose the passage Of Con mi
sioner Hardison's bill. They wi
take the position that as this is
commissioners bill adopted by II
majority Of insurance commissions
ana accepted BY the fraternal soc
cites the fraternalists are justified
4 resenting any material changes.
has been reported to our committ'
that Commissioner Hardison VI
make concessions, but the fraterna
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