The New York herald., 1921-12-09
1921 LIFE INSURANCE
HIS NEAR 1920 MARK
Ea siness Shows Progress, Hol-
/ }c0mbe Tells Presidents of
Il Companies.
DEATH RATE STILL FALLS
tuberculosis and Other Dis
eases Less Menacing, Auto
III mobiles Record Gains.

ipespite q period of financial depres-
sion in the current year as compared
with 1920 the number OF new life insur-
Cnited States will be only three-quar-
ters OF per cent. below the high record
for 1890 according to estimates present
ed yesterday at the opening of the fif-
ueenth annual convention OF the Asso-
ciation of Life Insurance Presidents in
tie, Hotel Astor.
The number or new policies Will ap-
proximate 13.160.o00 for this year. as
against 12.24s.o0o last year. and will rep
resent aggregate insurance of about
SS,535. 600. 900, as against $l.105, 900, 000
These estimates were presented by John
NJ Holcombe, president OF the Phoenix
Mutual Life Insurance Company of
Hartford.
Atthough the actual figures appear to
Indicate a falling off they actually
mark progress rather than retrogres-
sion, Mr.. Holcombe said. In 1919 the life
Insurance companies enjoyed an un-
paraieled increase of 62 per cent. over
the business of 1918
Most of u.s." Mr.. Holcombe said
would have been satisfied if the 1920
new. business equalled that OF 1919. We
csjr'd hardly expect an increase. yet II
eventuated When the returns for 1920
were in 1t was found that the new
business was 81 per cent. greater than
in 1919.
XIX Decline I'm Death Rate.
Robert Lynn Cox, third vice-presi-
dent of the Metropolitan Life Insurance
Company, presented figures showing
that the life insurance death rate has
dropped from 9.5S thousand in 1920 to
SH thousand in 1921 for the United
States and Canada. These figures were
from the records OF deaths in
thlrty-seven OF the leading Amer
can life companies. Applied to
the population of the two countries,
Mr.. Cox said. they indicate $4,000 fewer
deaths this year than last The 1921
figures show. he added. that influenza
has almost disappeared from the United
states and Canada. that pneumonia has
decreased about 80 per cent. from 1920.
and that mortality from automobile ac-
cidents has shown q Is per cent. in
crease with p~obable total of 10000
Death Mr. Cox said:
Speaking of the principal causes of
death Mr. Cox said
Though we learn thac tuberculosis
haR caused 22.443 deaths, about one in
Efne OF all deaths ir 1921. we have in
mind that Z IN years ago It caused nearly
one death among every four.
Within recent years typhoid fever has
neen reiegafed to a place q? minor i'm
yortance, though in former years 1t
played havoc with the lives OF our peo-
pie. This In large part Is true OF diph-
tlreria--that dread destroyer CT child life
for centuries past, which 81 recent years
Las been largely brought ur der medical
control and thereby put into n compara-
lively minor place among the causes of
death.
"The number OF deaths IN 1921 caused
by automobiles and other motor driven
vehicles as reported by the life insur-
q nee companies that furnished their fig
ures for compilation was e.ecL an in
craase of nearly Is pc esEI over 1920.
Chr experience for ten months shows
that 10000 human lives will be brought
10 premature deaths in 1917 by motor