The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-03-28
II business Statement
A Human Document

The business statement of the Met
ropolitan Life Insurance Company
for 1921 contains interesting matter
not generally found in the statement
of financial corporation. 1t relates
to the human side of great bust
ness. The Company's assets are
more than one billion one hundred
and fifteen million dollars and it
policies outstanding are more tan
twenty-five and half millions.
Many people hold more than one
policy and the best estimate of the
Company is that this number OF poll
cies insures,i round numbers, nine
teen million individuals. AS owe"
twenty million of the policies are the
so-called Industrial, on which prem
iums are collected weekly by Agents
who call at the policy holders
homes, this gives to Company will;
the financial strength of the Metro
politan an opportunity for health and
welfare work. The statement pub
lished shows how the Company has
accepted this opportunity.
While the year 1921 in the popular
mind is put down as a year OF dull
business, life insurance has been an
exception. The Metropolitan again
held the record among all companies
in the world in 1921 with 1894
789 607 ne winsurance placed on the
books. 1t assets increased more
than one hundred and thirty million
dollars, and its income was $685.
462,919 more than it was ii l"2O'
For many years the Company's
principal business was Industrial
small policies generally held by the
working men of America and theil
| families But lately the so-called
Ordinary insurance, where the
premiums are paid quarterly, sent
annually or annually, has so in
| creased that this branch of the buSi-
ness now exceeds the Industrial il
| amount.
In accepting the opportunity fol
health and welfare work, the Com
pany extended the free nursing ser
| vice given to Industrial pOlicy-hold-
| ers so that last year it was effective
in $500 cities and towns and the
i nurses made more than 2,10O OOC
| free visits. Arrangements have beer
1
| surfing their employees under grouI
policies, receive the benefits of thu
nursing service and welfare litera
| ture.
In making their weekly calls tt
collect premiums, the $1,000 Agents
distributed booklets and pamphlet
dealing with health and disease, tell
ing in simple language how to aVOlt
| preventable diseases and what to az
if the policy-holders are sick. Nor
than twenty-five millions of thes
/ pamphlets were distributed in thi
way last year In connection witt
/ the Society for the Prevention o
| tuberculosis the Company is con
Quoting a great experiment at Farm
/ ingham, Mass. This city was select
ed as typical American city with
/ population OF about the ayerag
| character. The Company financed
the tuberculosis Society in q dem
| 0nstration to show what proper mu
| nicipal health regulation can do to
ward wiping out this disease. Prac
ticaIly all the population were oX
amined for signs OF this disease, am
then, with physicians to advise them
measures were taken to improve tn
conditions and for the general bet
torment of the health of the city
The experiment is watched by healtl
| authorities throughout the country
One result has been that deaths from
tuberculosis in birmingham durin!
y the three or four years that the eX