St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1918-05-04
Insurance FOR OUR
SOLDIERS AND SAILORS

It viii interest ali TIE xans to know
that a well known Texas has lately
been placed in immediate charge o
ta5 greatest insurance business eve,
c iished, which might properly BIZ
Il. 4 Uncle Sans Mutual. This
concern has been in existence only
siasa the 9Th of October last, it ha;
already issued nearly 1000, 900 poll
cies eff life insurance, representing
between fourteen-fifteen billions o.
INSURANCE, and has paid cut not {
cert III commissions. This achieve
meat 81 far exceeds anything which
has been done in the past that il
stands out as an epoch making event
The Texan who Is directing the en-.
terprise Il Mr.. Thomas B. Love, as
sistant ~secretory Of the treasury, and
who was insurance commissioner OF
Texas during the Campbell admins.
tration. The War Risk Bureau estab.
lished by congress for war purposes
was placed under the secretary of the
Treasury, Mr.. McAdoo. He has del
egated t D Mr.. Love, as assistant sec
Rotary, the supervision of this bu-
reau 1T Is noteworthy that another
Texan, Major Henry D. Lindsey, late
mayor Of Dallas, is chief administra-
tor for the bureau in France.
The magnitude of this achievement
viii appear from a com parison with
the business of the large st private in
surance company in this country. 1t
has been in existence since 1916, has
policies outstanding which represent
$2,511,60 ,274. and enjoys a premium
income annually of a little more than
$40, 900, 900. Uncle Sans concern,
with business outstanding about five
times as great, has about the same
income. Uncle Sans business repre-
SCENTS exclusively war risks. This pri-
yate business represents exclusively
peace risks. At the beginning of the
war private companies started out to
do a war risk business. The rates
they charged would have yielded an
annual income from the business
which has been written by r.. Sam
Of approximately $1,000. 600, 1000 as
against about $780, 600, 900 charged by
Uncle Sam. It will clearly appear
why the private companies went out
OF the business. Uncle Sam is a hard
man TO buck.
Insurance experts claim that this
will be a losing business, and they
are probably right about it. How:
ever, Uncle Sam will a Y five times
as much in pensions as he will lose
on Insurance. and so 1t is good bust
ness for him, no matter how it may
pan Out on the surface. On the other
hand, 1t is by no means certain that
he IS going to make such a bad bar
gain Of insurance-eonsidered as a
business. In the first place, he has
mighty little expense loading. His
solicitors are generals, c~olonels, ma
jorS, captains, ~lieutenants, ct cetera,
and they get out and hustle for the
sake Of the good they accomplish.
The total expense of the bureau from
October 6 last to March 26 wos ST.
162, 406, and more than two-thirds of
this was not chargeable against the
insurance department. Think of it:
an insurance business representing
nearly fifteen billions established in
less than six months at a cost of less
$500, 900. That makes the big
gest Napoleon of finance look like a
corn doctor.
The war risk bureau does not linn
II its business to life insurance.
One provides for monthly payments
10 the families of soldiers and sail
3rs; another provides for a disability
which is a sort of combina-
ion life, health and accident policy,
ind another combines an accident
sith a life insurance policy. Thus
Uncle Sam is running a sort of in
iuranee department store. If you
lon't see what Q want ask for it.
Every enlisted man in the army
navy who has a family is re-
f.. E5E #}.
Iuired to contribute. out of his sery-
CO salary, at least SIS per month to
Is support. To this Uncle Sam adds
monthly family allowance ranging
rom five dollars per month for one
actherless child. or SIS per month
or a wife without children, up to
maximum Of $50 per month. An
man without family may I
lake a voluntary allotment o a de- I
endent relative, to which the gov t
rnment adds an allowance scaled
ecording to family allowance. The
nreau now disburses about S16.00o,- I
% monthly on this account. In the !
lain the men in uniform give cheer t
il support to this humane provision c
/ the law, but there are numerous j
III which dependents have been {
1mpelled to appeal to the bureau for g
slief, and this has added to the bur-
an of It's labors. i
The wife. child or widowed mother p
|, a soldier or sailor who may die c
ring the war will receive from $40 c
SIS per month for child or widow. s