The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-10-13
Old Line Companies Unite With
War Risk Bureau in Effort to
Checkmate Practices of I'm
scrupul0us Agents.
PREMIUM NOT KEPT
UP ON $3,00O,0O0
Home Offices of Most Old Line
Companies Are Taking Pains
to Cancel All So-Called s'Twist-
ed" Policies Found.
{sy GEORGE II. MANNINo.)

Washington, d. c., Oct 1.-THE vari-
Gus agencies in the commercial insur-
ance field have joined with the war
risk insurance bureau in a campaign
to checkmate the unscrupulous insur-
ance agent who engages, through mis-
representation, in the practice of
twisting" the war risk insurance poll
cies into regular commercial life in
surance policies.
Evidence is in the hands of the war
risk bureau that many insurance men
have engaged in twisting" Each case
has been promptly referred to the home
office of the company represented by
the agent and to the insurance COM
missioner of the etate, with the result
that twisted policies have been can
celled and the twisting" agent
severely dealt with.
The war risk insurance bureau and
the commercial insurance companies
would like to be furnished with
with names of agents who attempt to
induce former service men to drop
their government insurance and take
out commercial insurance. so that they
can deal with them and break up the
vicious practice.
The insurance companies, the state
insurance commissioners and the war
risk bureau stand firmly together in
declaring that the insurance issued on
the lives of the service men by the
government during the war, and now
convertible into more desirable or suit
able policies, is the cheapest and most
liberal obtainable. They are opposed to
every effort to induce the former SER
vice men to cancel them in order to
take out policies with the commercial
companies.
The insurance companies as gen.
erai rule, are making a rigid inquiry
into every new insurance policy writ
ten and are cancelling those obtained
as substitutes for war risk policies
The Prudential Insurance Company is
going so far as to cancel policies OBJ
tanned in that manner even after the
contract has been duly signed up and
premium paid.
A striking instance of twisting" that
nded disastrously for the "twister' was
that of Captain Millard w. Mack, gem
eral agent for Hamilton county Gin
cluding Cincinnat) for the Northwest
ern Insurance Company, who was sus-
pended for one year by the Cincinnati
Life Insurance Underwriters Associa
tion. by and overwhelming vote, for
alleged attempts to twist" over 800
war risk policies to his company.
The case of Captain Mack is striking
in many respects. Mack served in
France in the adjutant generals de-
partment as captain in charge of war
risk insurance. He is brother of Judge
Julian Mack, who was the author of
the war risk insurance act.
Upon his return from France he be-
names of agents who attemp to
ern Insurance Company for Hamilton
+v The charge on which he was
s,,snended from membership for one
-,aar hy the Cincinnati Life Under
,.rr;ters' Association about two weeks
eo grew out of a complaint made in
August to Secretary of the Treasury
Glass by Blair Barrister, field surveyor
Of the Equitable Life Company, a
brother in law of Mr.. Glass. II was
charged that Mack, upon his discharge.
had advertised in the newspapers tnat
he would advise returned soldiers IN
regard to their policies. and then, upon
the strength OF his advice, induced 200
of them to drop their government poll
cies for policies in his company.
OF the 100000 odd life insurance
policies written by the war risk ir-
surance bureau on the lives of rervice
men during the war, about 000,000
are in force today and premiums are
being paid regularly. The other 3,00o,060
are not being kept up by payment Of
premiums, but have not lapsed because
the bureau is keeping them in force
for eighteen months, and will put item
Immediately into full effect at any sine
within the eighteen months upon pay
ment of two months premium ySuf
meanwhile the policy will not he paid
to the beneficiary should the insured
die.
r. G. Cholmeley Jones. director cf
fContfprYcd IN pova r~o,