THE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY 



383 



gienic existence, the mortality in such a group would be lowered at least 

 to the degree exhibited by the abstainers in the British company above 

 referred to. 



Inasmuch as the net premium for an abstainer at age 35, under an 

 average distribution of endowment and whole-life policies, would be 

 $3.03 per thousand of insurance in force less than for a non-abstainer, 

 we have here a figure representing the actual saving on such lives, the net 

 premium being comparable to the cost of manufacture in trade. Apply- 

 ing this factor to the old-line insurance in force in the United States — 

 about $18,000,000,000 — a saving would result, over and above the cost 

 of carrying on the work, of $5,000,000 annually. There would also be 

 an annual saving of approximately 10,000 lives. These are the mini- 



Fig. 1. Experience of the United Kingdom Temperance and General Provident 



Institution of London. Healthy males ; whole-life policies ; amounts ; 1866-1910. 



Expected mortality, British O m table 100.00? 



Ratio actual to expected mortality, non-abstainers 91.27? 



Ratio actual to expected mortality, abstainers 66.25? 



Mortality among abstainers 27.4 per cent, less than among non-abstainers. 



mum figures that can be derived from any scientific ground of experi- 

 ence. They can be increased according to one's confidence in the abil- 

 ity of hygienists to guide the public into conservation methods of living. 

 No effort is here made to compute the enormous reflex benefits to the 

 public at large from these activities among insured lives. 



Is the work worth while? If so, how can it be carried on to the 

 best advantage? The answer is found in a brief survey of the re- 

 sources of the life-insurance companies. 25,000,000 old-line policy- 

 holders pay annually, to about 250 companies, more than $600,000,000 

 in premiums; these companies hold $4,000,000,000 in assets to protect 

 $18,000,0000,000 of insurance in force; they employ 20,000 agents and 

 80,000 medical examiners, in addition to home-office employees, banks 



