Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-12-31
CLOSING Year
EvENTFUL ONE
FOR WOODMEN
Question of Rates Settled In Manner
Satisfactory to All
Members.
BY ]. G. RAY.
Assistant Head Clerk1

BY ]. G. RAY.
assistant Head Clerk.) =
The year 1919 will be recorded in
the history Of Modern Woodmen
of America d one of the most
eventful in the life of the society
because the question of rates. which
for years had been confronting the
organization, was satisfactorily set
tied at a special meeting of the
head camp held in Chicago. March
Is to ~, 1919.
The delegates composing the spe-
cial head camp, representing the
membership of the society, adopted
new rates based upon the actual
mortality history Of the society,
these rates becoming effective July
1, 1919.
BY this action the society is en-
abled to comply with the valuation
requirements of the New York con-
ference bill, in force in nearly all
the states in which it is doing bust
ness, and the use of the society's
own table of mortality as q basis
for the new rates is specifically
authorized yby that law.
Task Of Rerating Membership.
The adoption Of the new rates
effective July l, 1919, meant that
the head clerks Office was faced
with the task of rerating the entire
membership Of the society, approx
mately 100000, and the furnishing
to each of over $4,000 clerks Of
! camp a certified list Of members o.
his camp, showing the names OF
| the members, the entry age Of each,
and both the old and the new
rates, and this task necessarily had
to be completed between the time
the special head camp adjourned
and the time the new rates became
effective. On April 1, 1919, q new
head office department was estab-
lished, known as the rate revision
department, which was given de-
tailed management Of the rerating
work. This stupendous undertake
ing was successfully accomplished
in 46 working days by a special
force Of "a clerks without causing
undue confusion In any OF the
other departments Of the heal
clerks ONCE. That the task was
accomplished in such a short time
and with so little confusion WAS
! due to the fact that all the various
operations were carefully planned
and methods of operation laid out
before the Job was commenced.
Lapsation Less Than Expected.
1t has invariably been the expert
ence of all insurance organizations
that any increase in assessment OF
premium rates results In an in-
crease in lapsation and a conse-
quent loss of membership. 1t was
reasonably expected, therefore. that
there would be quite a large loss In
membership as a result Of the &C
ton Of the special head camp. Pre-
dictions as to the probable loss ran
all the way from $4,000 to 100000
members. The actual losses by
suspension since the rate changes
took effect total only 10,640, which
Is q record 30 remarkable as to
astonish even the most optimistic.
The suspensions and reinstate-
ments have now dropped back to
normal, and the death losses, which
were SO enormous during the "flu"
epidemic, have also subsidized to the
normal rate.
Patriotic Fund Discontinued.
The patriotic, or war. fund,
which was created by action of the
1917 head camp by the levy of an
additional assessment on each
beneficial member, amounting to 10
cents on each $500 Of insurance car
ried, and which was used for the
payment of the death claims of
soldier and sailor members who
lost their lives through engage
ment in the world war. was dis
continued by action OF the special
head camp when the new rates be-
| came effective. The balance re-
naming in that fund, including
cash and investments in bonds. a
total of $4,52S,O11.57 was trans
ferred on Aug. /, 1919, to the bene-
fit fund and thus made available
for the payment Of regular death
claims. Out Of the patriotic fund
there were paid 2,062 claims of SOL
dief and sailor members, aggregat-
ing $2,e6s,25o.
Volume Of Business In 1919.
, For the first IL months Of 1919,
the total cash received and handled
by the head clerks Office amounted
to $25,646, 063.40, as against 500
1877, S63.66 for the same period il
1918.
Disbursements for death claims
for the year amounted to $21,321,-
1890, a total of 1925 claims hav-
ing been paid. Included in these
figures are 1920 soldier and sailor
claims paid from the patriotic fund
prior to the discontinuance of that
fund, amounting to $1,561 $3.50.
The 70-year disability benefit
feature was taken advantage of by
413 members. who were paid i
total of $206,352.80.
In point of new business, the
record for the year will reach 3d.
900 new certificates, which is con-
, sidered as a satisfactory showing.
but the year 1920 is expected to
produce not less than 100000 NV
-. ~
mulgated.
"24- Campaign.
On July l. 1919, Head Consul A.
r. Talbot of Lincoln. Neb., launch
ed a campaign to add 100000 new
members to the society during the
ensuing "a months, ending June 90,
1921. The Jurisdiction of the So
ciety has been divided into "a units,
each of which is assigned a quota