The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-23
S|LLS IS GUEST OF
LIFE INSURANCE MEN
Banquet Given at the Hill
man Last Night
URGES COOPERATION
Tells Them That Practices of Former
Days Are Not Used by the
Successful business
Man of Today

With an eloquent plea for the eleva-
tion of the standards of life insurance
business and life insurance men. Neal
=. sills of Richmond, Va, president OF
the National Underwriters association,
addressed the members of the Birming-
ham Underwriters association at ban
quet last night at the Hotel Hillman.
Taking the subject THE Mission of Life
Insurance President Sills wove about It
interesting and enlightening facts of the
Importance of the life insurance business
being conducted upon a high plane and
as a work for humanity and not only a
matter of profits for the agent
This is President Sills first visit to
Birmingham and he stated that he was
greatly impressed with the wonderful
industrial ard business life of the city.
He visited the steel mills and the resi-
dence sections of the city yesterday and
stated he had often heard of Birming-
ham but this was his first opportunity
III the country. and he could hardly be-
lieve his eyes.
Plea for Co. Operation
The national presidents address was
plea for better cooperation and team
work among the life insurance agents
of Birmingham. He stressed the i'm
portance of doing something for some
one else with charitable motive and
not only for the dollars and cents which
could be figured out of the transaction.
He urged the agents to study their
customers condition and circumstances
and try to sell him a policy which would
be of the most benefit to him instead
OF the one which would bring the most
commission to the agent. This policy,
in the long run. he declared, would work
to the good of the insurance man.
He was very frank In his handling OF
tho subject and in diplomatic way went
to the very heart of the situation. II
understand that you are not having the
necessary cooperation here In Birming-
ham, he said. ''It probably is not one
mans fault, but all of you are a little
to blame. Above all things there should
be no rebating, no twisting, no mud
singing and the various other tricks that
are sometimes employed by one. man
to attempt to force his competitor out of
his range. All that sort of thing is a
matter of the past Business is not done
that way nowadays.
Every man should work for the up
lift and elevation of the life Insurance
business; for it is one of the largest and
one of the most worthy vocations in
existence. The life insurance companies
OF this country have a. total capitalization
of s4.164.0OO,000. the insurance assets of
the country are four times as large as
the national debt, there are $4,000, 900. 900
worth of life insurance now in force in
the United States and the life insurance
business has developed three times as
fast as the population in the last two or
three years. And yet the great oppor-
tunities that are in the future for the
business and an example of the need
Of educating the masses to the import
anee of life insurance are shown by the
fact that half as much Is spent for candy
annually in this country as for life in
surance, more is spent for beer and near