The Omaha guide., 1934-02-17
is literally the light Of the world
SPECIAL TO THE OMAHA GUIDE
FROM THE DEPARTMENT
OF COMMERCE, WASH.
Summary Of Report Of The Negro
Advisory Committee Of The Ad-
visory And Planning Council
for The Department OF
Commerce.

RESPONDING to the invitation OF
Secretary Roper, of the Department
of Commerce, a group of Negro lead
ers. later organized as q permanent
advisory committee to the Depart
ment of Commerce, spent two days
(Sept. z and 81 in session, discussing
vital needs of the American Negro.
At the close of the session, . compre-
bensiye report was submitted to the
Secretary, covering the following top
les: Business, Agriculture, Education,
the N. r. A. Program, Labor Unions
and the Federal Government, as each
affects the Negro.
Under the caption Of Business. the
report advises that the field OF busi-
ness, in which the Negro has achieved
the largest of success, is thai
of life insurance. From small be-
oinnings of umerou beneficial So
cieties of a score of years ago, there
have developed within the past decade
fully thirty insurance organizations
which claim more than a local sphere
OF usefulness. At the beginning OF
1929, these companies, limited to the
patronage Of their own people, had
grown to the size which commanded
the admiration of their communities
and were a justifable source Of
pride to the entire Negro race.
When the blight of depression fell
upon the country, these institutions
were not spared. They had justified
their existence by making loans on
Negro-owned property. Naturally
these companies were among the first
to feel the result of unemployment,
because it was the Negro worker who
was the first to be dropped from the
industrial payrolls, when retrench-
ment set in. Mortgagors defaultec
in interest and principal payments
as well as in taxes; and these com
panies, which had e~ndeavored to be
Of help to their own people, were
left.
Premium payments ceased and pol
icies were drained of their cash and
loan values to the detriment of cash
reserves Of these companies, plung-
ing some Of the most widely known
of these companies into the hands of
rences affected the Negro insurance
enterprises and helped to impair the
confidence in Negro business intsg-
rity, which had been built up care
fully through the years.
Despite these facts, failures among
Negro insurance companies have been
few compared with failures in the in
surance business generally. 1t is a
noteworthy fact that twelve small,
struggling, Negro-owned companies,
that had received less than Nineteen
Million Dollars in premiums, gave
employment to more than Six Thous-
and Negro agents, clerke, stenogra-
piers, and other workers
An urgent request is made in the
report that a member of the advisory
group be appointed to serve on the
Department of Commerce Committee
which has been created to study the
business of insurance, in order that
such intimate knowledge as may be
available Of the embarrassments of
Negro-owned insurance companies
may be given to such a committee,
thus pointing n way in which the
Department Of Commerce might aid
struggling Negro business.
In the discussion of Agriculture,
the report points to the fact that two
millions Of Negroes are engaged in
the occupation of farming. In GER
tain sections of the far South, Ne
groes form the major part Of the
farming population. From this con
~sideration, the report continues, it
seems obvious that this large group
Of the population should have sub
stantial representation in all plan
ming for the improvement of the bust
ness of farming and should share full
ly in representation on all boards,
bureaus, and committees that affect
directly the communities in which Ne
gro farmers live and work.
ITO be continued on the Editorial
$3.50 Page next week.