Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1912-07-12

erty Insured-A Column of Interest
ina and Enightening Statistics About
Pennsylvania Grange Activities.
tFrom the Country Gentleman.1
Fire insurance and banking both
come within the scope of grange CO.
operation in Pennsylvania A plan to
include life insurance is now under
consideration, but since the main Office
of that enterprise is in another state
1t is not considered in this article,
which seeks to find what the grange
| has done for Pennsylvania. The COM
| pany is founded, however, on grange
capital-$300, In fire insurance
| there are eighteen companies, with
risks of over $6O0OOOOO, all managed
by members of the grange They
have been in operation many years,
and the officials of the state insurance
department informed me that so far
as they knew no grange company had
ever failed.
Pennsylvania is the home of mutual
fire Insurance companies. having over
200 of them, but those that keep clos
| est to the original lines are the ones
owned by the grange. Not long ago
| the insurance commissioner sent a
deputy to make an examination Of one
of these mutual companies. This dep
! uty went to the address and was d.
| rected to q farm several miles distant.
| Upon driving to the house he was in
formed that the president of the COM
pany was in the field. There he found
him blowing.
"What can do for you?" asked the
farmer.
1T come from Harrisburg to examine
your fire insurance company. Where
is your Officer"
"I'm the office" was the reply, and
presently from a coat pocket were pro-
duced several sheets Of paper. And
here are the documents"
So the examination was made In the
field, and soon the deputy was on his
way back home.
Some Examples Cited.
The Briar Creek Insurance company,
located ut Lime Ridge, Pa, carries
risks amounting on Jan. /, 1912, to
11,716,O79; premium notes in force,
$46S, 643 90; cash on hand. S30,739.S0.
This company has done business for
thlrty-seven years, and this is a sum-
mary Of it:
Total amount OF money received. 1855, 234. Il
Total losses paid. 204, Is
Total expense of company, thirty
seven years Observation-Disclosures. 6O,72S.5 3
Average expense per year...... 1,641 81
Average cost of insurance per
81 900 for one year................ 100
Average cost OF insurance per
81 900 for thrty-seven years. 1000
I doubt If this showing can be eX-
celed by any other insurance compa
ny. Some of the grange companies
have an average cost of insurance be
low $1.19, but they are not so old or
so large as the Brlar Creek company
1t is another parallel to the pocket of
fee and the dollar banquet to find that
the president of this S12,O00000 insur-
ance company gets a salary of $50 a
year and that the whole rental charge
Is S25. The only salary of any size
in the company Is the secretary's ST.
200 a year. Considering the mass of
work that falls upon him, he earns it.
The Patrons Mutual Fire Insurance
company of Indiana, Pa, was organ
lied in 1877. In its thirtyfive years
it has received STAT ,309O5 and paid
out in losses $140,42G. 1t carries risks
of s., 139,950. It's annual expenses, In
Guiding salaries and all items, are un-
der $4,000, while its receipts last year
: were $14,57560. Of which it paid out
$11,117 in losses.
A smaller and newer company, the
Cambria County Mutual Patrons OF
Husbandry, was organized in 1895. In
sixteen years it received $3l ,621.0S and
, paid out in losses so. SSG.O5. Its risks
are $1,06S,22S. Its expenses and all
salaries are under 5000 n year
One of the latest companies is the
Bedford County Mutual of Osterburg
It's risks Dec. 81, 1911, We're 1924 357
and its assets $2,00S.SO, with premium
notes of 500 ,592.32. During the year
it received $914.S9 and paid out $780, 10
: 1t had no losses. Its salary and eX-
pense list is less than $1G0 year
: THE Patrons Mutual Fire Insurance
Association of Northwestern Pennsyl
vanla, at Cory, Pa. carries risks OF
100000 In the twenty-five years
Of It's existence 1t has received S257-
282.41 and paid out in fire losses S221-
1851. It's present assets are $2j
207.S4 and its liabilities $lT.S52 T.
, During the past year it received in &c 81
$21 ,S01 90 1t had losses of 500, G0s.Ea.
/ have taken companies of different
, ages and s'Zrs and from differea: sec
, lions so that we may get a compre
! henslve idea Of what grange co-opera
, tive insurance Is doing in Pennsylva
MIA. JAMES ALVIN.
Nsw Grange Hall.
Not many weeks clnse without the
completing of grange hall some
xvhara Tho intcst In Navv Vork 20 4,