The Omaha guide., 1933-08-26
Every Week from this Column
CLIFFORD c. MICHEL


Insurance Co.'S and Burial Societies
The recent convention 81 the indie
pendent National Funeral Directors
Association which convened in Chi
cage has provoked much controversy
in the press and elsewhere on the at
titrde 81 certain Undertakers against
the practice 81 other Undertakers
who also operate Burial Societies.
AlWays DESTROYS o. interpreting the
latest current phase Of Negro Bust
ness in keeping with the best business
practices ! sought and obtained an
opinion from successful insurance
executives on the Burial Society bust
ness and these opinions, boiled down,
and written in my own language con-
am a real news story for our press
and readers.
In the first place the people are
sod on the Burial society methods or
they would not prove profitable to
some and obnoxious to others. The
weak point, and perhaps the most
unsound feature cf the private bur
ial societies is that such operations
are with out state supervisor by the
Insurance. departments and thus the
element II security, legal reserve pro-
visions. etc. are not maintained or at
least guaranteed.
Il seems 10 ns. anore or less, the
policy of the protesting Undertakes
10 fierce their fellow-practicioners
who operate Burial Societies to either
participate in a straight out and out
insurance b~1sinsss or to abide by the
assumed strict ethics Of the majority
Of the conservative Undertakes. And
IN ~ communities these antagon-
istie efforts have brought on much
wordy warfare between the various
cliqnes.
Some Of these Burial Societies
have grown TO unbelievable proper
tions and IL was reported to he on
gnod authority that one such concern
in Chicago. the Metropolitan Funeral
System Association maintain a staff
Of nearly enc hundred agents and has
a cnlsectable debit of around seven
thousand dollars weekly. For a few
cents = week they offer a complete
funeral. in lieu Of cash, including
grave, cAskes, robe, undertaking ser
vice ineluding the use Of the chapel,
and a minister. Many other concerns
have undertaken this same service
with less success.
Only recently when the National
Negro Insurance Association met in
Chicago this same subject. so l am
told. vas hotly discussed. Some mem
bers Of the Association were all in
favor Of waging a fight on the Bur
ial Societies with a view Of driving
them ont 81 business. Other execu-
tives. however. maintained that any
Negro Business that was SO success
fully selling itself 10 the Negro pub
lie contained many germs Of good
business that could be adopted by
the successful insurance companies
and vastly improved upon, with a.
guarantees Of financial safety to the
insured
As a result Of this conference
many Of she insurance concerns have
adopted the good and salable points
Of the Burial Societies and backed by
guaranteed reserves ard the added
protection q state-supervision. they
are oEersng a much more attractive
policy TO the public.
One company. he Supreme Liberty
Life Insurance Company, is offering
policies on five classes Of funerals,
ranging from 500 to $500, which in
slude, in the larger policies, q bronzed
finish metallic casket; rough box;
grave in local cemetery; removal;
embzlming; hezrse; three limousins;
shroud; one head marker and a floral
wreath. OF IN lieu OF the grave and
box in local cemetery viii ship the
body anywhere within . radius Of
4 thousand miles Of Chicago, and
al for Just = few cents q week, thus
providing everything that q Burial
Society can offer plus the assured
backing Ct hundreds Of Thousands Of
dollars and . supervised protection
that no burial socisty can possibly
o6s.