The Phoenix index., 1941-06-07
HOW LONG IS LONG ENOUGH!
Bv C. w. cox
Vice-President and Director of
Agents, North Carolina Mutual
Life Insurance Company

Nv C- W. VA
Vice-President and Director of
Agents, North Carolina Mutual
Life Insurance Company
Prompted by reflections on the
celebration, during the month of
June, of thirty years of doing
business In the State of Ceorpia.
Just few more Swings of the
pendulum of time and the curtain
will be drawn on thirty years Of
successful operation for our
company in the great State cf
Georgia. THIRTY years ago Ed
ward Richard Merrick. the pres
ent treasurer of our company;
fresh from A. and T. College: p
young. lanky. Inexperienced
hut wise--youth yentured into
Georgia to commence the work
of our company there.
Back in those pioneer days
Negroes were not supposed to do
much travelling nor tn possess
handbags of but minimum de-
gree of quality. Too, to travel
nrs life insurance salesman. en-.
plcving other men. selling life
Insurance n d establishing
branch offices. etc. was surely a
new thing under the sun and the
least exrected and the least toll
Grated So. in the midst of young
Merrick'e successes and disasters
he became an inmate Of one IF
the cells of the Macon. Georgia,
iail. for observation and ques-
tioning. As fortune would have
it. the outstanding NEGRO citizen
who went down to vouch for Mr.
Merrick and have him released
hv authorities was none other
than the father of Mr. Merrick's
rresent secretary, Miss Viola
Thompson.
MOVES TO FITZGERALD
After havinU comnleted set
ting Up an office and personnel
In Macon and experiencing the
young friend and comrade moved
on down to Fitzgerald, Georgia,
and on this occasion he was aoain
put in iail because he received
too much mail.
However. none of these things
daunted the spirit and fight of
our rioneer; he continued to car
rv. on: establishing branches. en-
ploving agents. writino insurance
the first policy written in the
State of Georgia was his work
etc. until he was believed Of his
Georgia ASSIGNMENT hv Mr.. W.. r.
Mathews, one of his own ap-
pointees, and subsequently bv our
rresent friend and comrade. 7
L. Wheeler, assistant agency di-
rector.
Since that small. trying, and
significant beginning, our COM
pany has enjoyed much of the
respect, confidence, and patron
ape of our people in Georgia and
today we have five districts in
the state--in the order of their
size and volume: Atlanta, S. S.
Abrams. manager: Savannah. A.
J. Clement. Jr.. manager; Ameri-
Gus, J. D. Anderson. manager;
Augusta. G. NJ. Johnson, mana
ger: Macon, C. W. Moore, man
Rger.
EMPLOY FIVE MANAGERS
The employment roster of our
company in the state consist of
five managers, six assistant man
ayers, two special agents, one
special ordinary salesman; sixty
nine industrial debit managers,
one secretary, one assistant clerk.
and five cashier-clerks. This
Georgia personnel of our effic-
iently handled in 1910 a volume
of over $11,OO0,O00 insurance in
force, with premium income
producing power of 1868, 3,6O4.96;
and incurred pay roll of over
S125,OOO for the highly profess
sionalized service it rendered to
the PUBLIC. Over a thirty year pc
riod the Georgia personnel has
been paid approximately $780,
600, all of which was put back
into circulation in the State of
Georgia. This personnel has over
this same thirty-year period paid
back to po1icyholders and bene-
ficiaries in Georgia, disability
Land death claims, matured en-
~ dowments, and surrenders ap-
proximately $2,OOO,000. Combin-
ing the sum paid our personnel
and the sum paid our policyhold-
ers and beneficiaries over the
thirty year period, we have put
back into circulation in the state
nearly $4,O0O,000.
In addition, our company has
invested hundreds of thousands
of dollars in Georgia securities,
such as first mortgages, munici-
pal, county, and state bonds,
thereby causing many homes tc
,---a.----------~---~-------
~-------------------------------