Auto Insurance Meeting 



Ws Accident Policy 



The annual meeting of the Illinois 

 Agricultural Mutual Insurance Co., held 

 Monday afternoon, Jan. 30 in the 

 Stevens Hotel ballroom, Chicago ap- 

 proved unanimously plans for bringing 

 out an accident insurance policy to be 

 offered Farm Bureau members and their 

 families and farm employees. The pol- 

 icy which will be presented, with rates, 

 for approval to the State Insurance 

 Department in the next 60 days will 

 provide for reimbursing policyholders 

 for medicine and doctor bills up to 80 

 per cent with a limit of $500 for a 

 single accident. The policy contem- 

 plated will classify risks, will provide 

 income benefits, and certain indemnities 

 for loss of fingers and limbs. 



The plan was presented by Donald 

 Kirkpatrick, lAA counsel and the meet- 

 ing voted unanimously to proceed to- 

 ward bringing out the policy. 



Earl C. Smith, president of the com- 

 pany, offered the report of the man- 

 agement which showed that last year 

 the company handled 27,450 claims 

 from accidents in 41 states, paid out 

 more than $750,000.00 in losses, and 

 saved some 68,000 policyholders a half 

 million dollars. 



Manager A. E. Richardson presented 

 details of company operation illustrated 

 by charts which proved most interest- 

 ing. 



"Although the Illinois Agricultural 

 Mutual Insurance Company has experi- 

 enced a splendid growth in number of 

 policies in force, surplus and assets, the 

 percentage of accidents during 1938 

 reached a new high with a percentage 

 of 41.2 per cent," Richardson said. 

 "This means that on the average each 

 automobile insured in the company is 

 involved in an accident approximately 

 every 21/^ years." 



Total premium reported written in 

 1938 was $1,316,896.62, total losses in- 

 sured for all kinds of claims were 

 $756,065.06, or a loss ratio to premium 

 earned of 59.5 per cent. 



Total operating expense in all divi- 

 sions was $123,018.77 making a ratio 

 to total earned permium of 9.7 per cent. 



The earned surplus of the company 

 during the year was increased by $192,- 

 617.03 which represents 15.2 per cent 

 of the total premium earned after pay- 

 ing to policyholders in the auto divi- 

 sion dividends totaling $111,976.71. 



The company closed the calendar 

 year with total assets of $2,000,444.04 

 and a surplus of $1,021,526.98. 



L. V. Drake, claims superintendent 

 discussed the most prevalent causes of 

 accidents in 1938. C. M. Seagraves 

 talked on safety and Dave Mieher spoke 

 about acquisition. 



Country Life Is I\ation's 

 Largest Farmer-owned Company 



Chicago, 111., Jan. 30:- The largest 

 farmer-owned and farmer controlled 

 life insurance company in the United 

 States, Country Life Insurance Co., cele- 

 brated its tenth anniversary here today 

 with the announcement that it had 

 83,000 policyholders and $125,000,- 

 000.00 of insurance in force, considered 

 a world record for so young a company. 

 Donald Kirkpatrick, counsel and secre- 

 tary of the management board talked 

 about the growth of the company. 



Organized by the Illinois Agricul- 

 tural Association in 1928, the company 

 had upwards of $12,000,000 insurance 

 subscribed by Illinois farmers before 

 it opened for business. At the close of 

 1938, approximately ten years later, the 

 company had assets in excess of $8,- 

 500,000.00 and capital and unassigned 

 surplus funds exceeding liabilities and 

 policy reserves of $807,548.81, Mr. 

 Kirkpatrick's report showed. 



The company's assets of $8,500,- 

 000.00 are almost $1,500,000.00 in ex- 

 cess of the amount required by the 

 laws of the State of Illinois. This sum 

 is held as a protection against unfor- 

 seen and unpredictable contingencies. 



During its period of operation the 

 company has received in premiums 

 $13,400,000, has paid in death claims 

 $1,730,000 and in the form of cash 

 surrender values and dividends $1,045,- 

 000, making a total payment to policy- 

 holders and beneficiaries in excess of 

 $3,015,000. The Company has advanced 

 to policyholders in the form of loans 

 on contracts more than $700,000.00. 



Reports were made by Sales Manager 

 Dave Mieher, Actuary and Home Of- 

 fice manager, Howard Reeder, and 

 Medical Director Dr. John E. Boland, 

 Chicago. 



Organization-Publicity 



Leads Attendance 



If you want to sign Farm Bureau 

 members quit criticizing the man who 

 isn't in. County Organization Director 

 Robbins of Ogle county told the Or- 

 ganization-Publicity conference in the 

 Stevens Hotel, Chicago, Jan. 31. Otto 

 Steffey, organization committee chair- 

 man presided. 



This conference drew the largest 

 audience of any held that afternoon 

 and developed some spirited comment and 

 debate on membership 

 and publicity problems. 

 Robbins contended that 

 present members should 

 discipline themselves to 

 guard against antagon- 

 izing the non-raernber. 

 "Let's sell the non- 

 member on the strong 

 points of the Farm Bu- 

 reau," he said. 



"Getting the non- 

 member is a matter of 

 education and informs- 



0««'S.ef«.r Ser.''''-Vrrh:s 

 been a tendency for Farm Bureau directors 

 and others to quit working on membership 

 when a county organization director is em- 

 ployed. This is a mistake. Neighbors 

 know neighbors best and can do more to 

 bring in the non-member than a stranger." 

 "Leaders should be better Farm Bureau 

 members and do a better job of selling by 

 demonstrating loyalty to all the Farm Bu- 

 reau cooperatives," commented a Mercer 

 county delegate. A burst of applause greeted 

 this statement. Roy Tucker of Montgomery 

 county stated that non-members who re- 

 ceived the lAA Record for several months 

 were the first to sign up. 



Just Keep Working 



Jim Hart, champion Farm Bureau so- 

 licitor of Illinois signed all but three of 

 the 150 farmers in Macon township, Ver- 

 milion county. "These three are a little 

 slow," he said. "I'll get one of them he 

 added, and the other two have moved out 

 of my township." Asked how he did it, 

 he said, '"Vou have to keep on working. 

 Nothing will take its place. I don't argue, 

 I just keep talking until he signs." 



Organization director Mills of Cook coun- 

 ty said, "too often we neglect to sell the 

 prospect's wife. Always leave the prospect 

 with a smile if you don't sell him so you 

 can go back again." 



Reasons given why members cancelled out 

 of the Farm Bureau were: (1) Disatisfac- 

 tion with AAA allotments: (2) Political 

 reasons; (3) Removal to another county; 

 (4) Quit farming; (5) Dissatisfaction with 

 insurance adjustment. 



The need for putting out information in 

 more readable form, of using pictures, car- 

 toons and illustrations, of playing up local 

 news and names in the County Farm Bureau 

 publication and of making news available 

 promptly and frequently to the county news- 

 papers was brought out by speakers on this 

 subject. The discussion was led by Director 

 of Information George Thiem. Farm Ad- 

 viser F. H. Shuman of Whiteside told about 

 efforts in his county to arouse the interest 

 of high school ag teachers and clergymen 

 in soil conservation, erosion control, and 

 farm surplus control measures. Rural news- 



(Continued on page 27) 



FEBRUARY. 1939 



