Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-05-11
INSURANCE WEEK
TO Be OBSERVED
One Out of Every Two Per-
sons in Nation Directly
Interested.
BY ]. G. DONLEY.
1iRno tnh - ert> ot


erecial Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. May 11.-Another one
Of those weeks" is being ushered In.
But this particular week is something
more than Just another observance
period, for 1t will interest directly
one out Of every two persons in the
United States. and, directly. Just about
every man, woman and child.
The NTH national life insurance
week will start next Monday. Plans
are now pretty well laid by the Execu-
tive Committee, under the national
Craftsmanship of George L. Hunt, vice
president OF the New England Mutual
Life Insurance Co. Of Boston, and the
subcommittee, under the national
Craftsmanship Of Cyrus T. Steven.
director of advertising, the Phoenix
Mutual Life Insurance Co., Hartford,
Conn.
We said one out Of every two persons
is directly interested, and that is Just
another way OF saying that there are
now about 64,000,000 life insurance
policyholders in the United States. At
the beginning Of the present century,
81 years ago, only one person out of
about every eight was a holder Of life
insurance.
High Spots Recalled.
Life insurance has grown 50 fast
that statement Of the high spots is
always interesting, and almost in
credible. While the ratio Of policy
holders to total population has been
going up from one-eighth to one-half
since 1900, our population has in
creased nearly 10 per cent During
the last few years we have come to
look upon 1929 as the never-never
land Of insurmountable, all-timc
peaks, but. at the end OF 1896, the
approximately sl04,5O0, oOo, 900 of life
insurance in force was nearly a billion
dollars above the aggregate at the
end of 1929.
In the last II years there has been
a gain OF so per cent In the amount
OF life insurance in force Since 1915
the total has been multiplied over
four and one-half times and at the
end OF last year 1t stood at almost
exactly eight times what it was in
1905.
More Women Insured.
The growing economic independence
OF women and their invasion of the
business world, with more varied
careers and greater earning power,
are clearly reflected in their owner
ship OF policies. Not much more
than 20 years ago it was estimated
that only about 3 per cent OF the
total number Of policyholders were
women. Today life insurance COM
panies report that the number Of
new policies issued to women is run
ming as high as Is per cent of the
total, or slightly more than one out
OF every four.
The best insured nation in the world
Is the United States For, with only
7 per cent OF the worlds population,
we own 10 per cent of the worlds
life insurance.
Comprehension of . billion dollars
Tor the average person Is limited to a
string Of nine naughts. As a sum of
money, 1t IS as fanciful as the astron-
omer's light year" But we get some
idea Of what the aggregate invest
ments OF the life insurance companies
mean when little figuring shows that
their total holdings Of real estate
mortgages are enough to build 20
cities with $4,000 homes each.
Rail Investments Heavy.
Their combined investments in rail-
road securities involve enough money
to put 10 streamlined trains on every
thousand miles of track in the United
States. Their total public utility in
vestment IS equal to nearly $1.25 for
every dollar Of revenues collected by
all the electric light and power con-
Germs in the country in 1886. Schools
to accommodate 100000 children
could be built with the money the life
insurance companies have invested in
public bonds.
And that will give you an idea OF
the stake which poIcyholders have
in the protection of the principal and
earning power OF such investments.
Turning in checks for premiums is
not q pleasant pastime, but the pay
ing-out end Of the insurance business
Is compensatory in a measure seldom
realized. Fully a quarter of q mil
lion dollars. for instance, was paid out
every hour Of 1896, counting Sundays
and holidays, and 81 cents out Of every
dollar Of that money was paid to liv-
ing policyholder%which knocks for
loop the old notion that with life
insurance you have to die to win"
It Is estimated that 10000, 900 persons