The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-08-03

While Florida may be, and certain
" is, the playground of the Ma
ton" it is in no sense backward IN
the sterner activities of life, as is
we'll shown in a paper by the Hon.
]. C. Luning State treasurer and in
surance commissioner, read this
week before the agency convention
of the Southern States Life lnsur-
ance Company, held at Atlantic
Beach. The subject: FLORIDA as
Field for the Life Insurance Man"
was well emphasized in his presen-
tation of a wide range of Importance
facts about the State.
Among them are the following:
Its percentage of white to colored
population is rapidly increasing; it's
investment in manufactures approx
mate $6S,OO0 900; its cigar output
400, ,OOO. 900 year valued at $1S,S00,-
900 and it's turpentine products
reaching s3,35O,OOO every twelve
months.
Each year the mining output runs
TO almost eleven millions of dollars,
exclusive of phosphate rock worth
practically ten millions more. Slight
ly over million and half cultivat-
ed acres yield food valued at $4,000
600. This year the Hastings section
alone has sold S5,000,000 worth of
Irish potatoes. More than million
cattle and hundred thousand sheep
nip the rich grasses of its ranges,
living at no cost upon the voluntary
products of the land.
The paper was read by Hon. j. r.
Leal, actuary of the Florida depart
ment, Mr.. Luning being detained at
the capital
ITO be desirable field for the
life insurance man." says the writer
"a State must have people. insurable
not only from physical standpoint,
but people who are insurable from a
financial standpoint. Let US see if
Florida can qualify as a State with
an insurable population. An unde-
termined percentage of the popula-
ton is not insurable because of ply
sical impairment. illness, occupation,
etc, but we may subdivide the popu-
lation into those insurable from the
point of age and race and thus OBJ
tain some idea of the number of in
surable persons in the State
THE State census of 1915, the last
available shows a gross population
of 92161S. From this we must elm
mate the negro, as they are not in
surable, except in companies doing
an industrial business and this
branch Of the life insurance business
has not been considered in arriving
at the figures which follow.
Then we must eliminate the white
person under the insurable age and
those over age.
Work Of One Agent
When this is done we find thai
Florida has an insurable population
Of 299,351, or approximately 100000
persons, who are insurable from the
age and race point Of view. JUS
how much insurance may be taker
by these persons is problematical
One agent in this room, refrainn
from mentioning his name on ac
count of respect for his modesty
sold last year over 100000 of insur
ance in two counties with a tota
population, insurable from age ant
race point of view, of 6,347.
"This will give you an idea of tn,
amount of insurance that may b.
sold in Florida. 1t may be interest
ing to approximate what percentag
of these persons are already insured
The old line companies reported I
the department last year only 1872
policies in force in Florida, but hi
represents over s114,000,000 of insul
ance in force and an annual premium
of 1854, ,422 1t is estimated by Nj