The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-04-20
THE METROPOLITAN LIFE
ASSETS ABOVE BILLION
Company During the Past Year Again
Held the Record for the
Whole Year.

The business statement OF the Met
ropolitan Life Insurance company TO
1921 contains interesting matter no
generally found in the statement Of
financial corporation. 1t relates L
the human side Of a great business
The company's assets are more thai
one billion, one hundred and ffteel
million dollars and its policies out
standing are more than twenty-fiv
and a half millions Many peopl
hold more than one policy and tn
best estimate Of the company Is tha
this number Of policies insures II
round numbers nineteen million indi
viduals AS over twenty million of thu
policies are the so-called Industrial
on which premiums are collected
weekly by agents who call at the pol
icy-holders' homes this gives to a com
pany with the financial strength Of thu
Metropolitan an opportunity for healtl
and welfare work. The statemen
published shows how the company
has accepted this opportunity
While the year 1921 in the popular
mind Is put down as a year Of dull bus
mess, life insurance has been an ex
ception. The Metropolitan again helt
the record among all companies in the
world in 1921 with S1,564, ,7S9, ,607 new
insurance placed on the books. Its
assets increased more than one hun
dred and thirty million dollars, and lis
income was $3S,462,919 more than II
was in 1920.
For many years the company's prin
cipal business was lndustrial-smal
policies, generally held by the work
ingmen Of America and their families
But lately the so.called Ordinary in
surance, where the premiums are paid
quarterly, semi annually or annually
has so increased that this branch O
the business now exceeds the Industri
al in amount.
In accepting the opportunity fol
health and welfare work, the company
extended the free nursing service Civ
Ell to Industrial policy.holders so tina
last year 1t was effective in $500 cities
and town and the nurses made NOR,
than 100000 free visits. Arrange
ments have been completed by whicl
employers, insurlng their employs
under group policies, receive the ben
efts Of the nursing service and wei
fare literature
In making their weekly calls to col
lect premiums, the $1,000 agents dis
tributed booklets and pamphlets deal
ing with health and disease, telling Il
simple language how to avoid prevent
able diseases and what TO do If tn,
policy.holders are sick. More thar
twenty-five millions OF these pamph
lets were distributed in this way las
year.
In connection with the Society TO
the Prevention of tuberculosis, tn,
company is conducting a great experi
ment at Framingham, Mass. Thi
city was selected as typical American
city with a population of about tn
average character. The company f
nanced the tuberculosis society il
demonstration to show what prope
municipal health regulation can d
toward wiping out this disease. PraC
tically all the population we're exam
ined for signs of this disease, an
then, with physicians to advise then
measures were taken to improve th
conditions and for the general better
ment of the health OF the city. TIL
/ experiment is watched by health al
thorities through the country On
result has been that deaths from II
| berculosis in birmingham during th
three or four years that the eXper
ment has been in progress hav
dropped from the rate of l21 per 100
900 to 40, The health authorities an
the people of that city have been S
impressed with these beneficial n
suits that they have greatly increase
their own municipal appropriation fc
the health department
The lack OF housing space in S
many cities of the country, due TO th
lack of building during the war, eau
ed the Metropolitan to make a system
attic and widespread effort TO bull
new moderate priced houses an
apartments During 1920 and 1921 Ii
company loaned, and pledged itself
loan, s6S. S.0SO,00O on new dwellings an
apartment houses providing hom'
for 17744 families.
In 1921 the death rate among indu
trial policy.holders reached its lowe
point--31 per cent lower than it vi
ten years previous The rate from I
phoid fever decreased II per cent
from tuberculosis, 40 per cent; fro
Bright's disease, nearly 30 per cen
and from infectious diseases of ch
dren nearly 81 per cent. The recorl
kept by the Company show that, col
pared with 1911. there were, in 1872
$4,000 fewer deaths than there won
have been If the 1911 death rate ht
prevailed. While there has been
general public health movement al
notable progress in medical scien,
and sanitation, which contributed
part, there Is evidence that consi
cradle factor in reducing the dea
rate among pollcy.holders of the COZ
pany has been the widespread heal
campaign carried on by the compan
The Metropolitan announces II W
continue its best efforts for the II
provement of health and the cons
Quent saving of life recognizing tn
the confidence which the Americi
people have in the company gives
still greater opportunity to serve the
not only in insurance protection, b
IN the prolongation of life Those vi
have the management Of its fnanc
] believe that great onportunity brIn