Věstník (West, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 15, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 11, 1956 Page: 11 of 32
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Wednesday, Apríl 11, 1956 ’ ‘ " VĚSTKfK^ WEST, tElŽAS
Strana 11
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF SLAVONIC
BENEVOLENT ORDER
OF THE STATE OF TEXAS
VĚSTNÍK
Reports fromi Lodges, biographies,
etc., intended for publication, musí
be in the hands of the Editor a
week before the dáte of issue. Ad»
dress all editorial matters to:
Editor, 6402 Prague, Houston 7 Tex,
Postmastor: Please Send Form 3579 With. Undeliverable Copies to S0PREME LODGE SPJST, l» O. BOX 400, TEMPLE, TEXAS
MUSINGS OF THE EDITOR
FRATERNAL SOCIETIES WERE
first organized to give protection to
the family in the event of the death of
the father who was its chief support.
Life Insurance is never a luxury. For
millions, it is a reál necessity. It pro-
vides food, clpthing, and shelter, when
the father is no longer the family pro-
vider. The benefits of life insurance
make the greatest appeal to the aver-
age man with a sen se of responsibility
for his dependents. The benefits also
appeal to the man who looks forward
to his own retirement.
* *
IT IS DIFF1CULT TO FIND A YARD-
stick as to the exact amount of life
insurance tha,t should be owned by the
average persori. High living costs: and
numerous kindsj of taxes make the net
margin of savings for the average fam-
ily rather nominal. Under these condi-
tions it is evident that life insurance is
the logical and best method to attain
financial security for the future.
* *
OUR FIELD WORKERS ARE TRAIN-
ed—or should be—in the art of helping
the prospective new members to eval-
uace their own need for life insurance.
We who are in the fraternal life insur-
ance business should also bear in mind
the second of the two important fun-
damientals of life insurance. The first
is salesmanship, which means to obtain
an a.dequate volume of business. The
other fundamental is that of selection
of the right kind of new rnembers. These
two fundamentals must go together. Let
me go into details.
* *
REPEATEDLY, YOU HÁVE HEARD
me saying that we need a smooth-run-
ning organizational department.We may
go as far as saying that we háve one,
although, personally, I don’t share your
optimisimi. If we do háve the ldnd of
organizational department as we should,
then we also háve a well-functioning
branch where we select the risks. Every
society desires business written upon the
lives of desirable applicants. A. poor risk
for insurance for ten thousand is like
a loan of the same amount on an un-
desirable property. A selection of desir-
able applicants is to us just as essen-
tial as the approval of good loans, be
they one thousand, five, or more.
* *
WE FINALLY HÁVE PERFECTED
our loan applications. We should also
perfect our membership applications
and, everything that goes with the or-
ganizational work besddes the salesman-
ship. The underwriting of risks at the
headquarters is now looked upon as a
routine matter, for the most part of it
in the hands of one or two typists.
Yet the underwriting branch of the Or-
ganizational Department should be doně,
first, by the field worker, then by the
přiváté reporting agency or by local
medical examiner, then by the Medical
branch at the headquarters, and final-
ly by some responsible officer who does
more than just také delight in reject-
ing applications. If the field represent-
ative measures up to the requirements
of good worker, and if he is reliable
and responsible, it is safe to assume
that hé will select a good class of risks.
But the careful selection of the appli-
cants should not stop with the field-
man or with the Medical branch. It
should be ehecked all the way. It hap-
pened to me that my applicant for eight
thousand insurance was rated ten years
younger than what my application
stated correctly.
& *
WHEN WE REALIZE THAT WE
write more than fifty per cent of the
new life insurance on the non-medical
pian of selection, it is evident that our
organizers hatve the destiny of the
SPJST in their hands to a large degree.
Favorable mortality will become of in-
creasing importance as future interest
earnings decline. Our surplus has accu-
mulated mostly on account of the fa-
vorable mortality—we háve not had so
many deaths as our actuary anticipated.
Instead of paying out in 1955 some
$450,000 in death elaims, we paid out
only 44 per cent, which was not quite
$200,000. Not only we háve saved on the
death elaims, but we will keep on col-
lecting additional dues for this year,
next year, several years. So I repeat
that favorable mortality will be of in-
creasing importance.
WHEN WE: TALK ABOUT TLIE AP-
proval of desirable applicants, we us-
ually think in terms of good health
alone. Yet the physical impairment is
not the only drawbaek. Much depends
on the character, on the occupation, on
the way the applicant spends his leis-
ure hours, and also on his financial
status. Let us skip the health. question
and look at the others. The habits of(
life and everyday coňduct may speak
against an applicant. Our complex civ-
ilization has added many problems
which were little known a generatioh
ago. The attitude of an individual tow-
ards right and wrong affects deeply his
business, personál, and public life.
% ^
THE QUESTION OF OCCUPATION IS
beeoming very important in our pres-
ent industrial and eoonomic daily life,
Our SPJST ušed to be composed of far-
mers. The farmer as a life Insurance
risk has for many years received very
favorable consideration. But his daily
work has been changed by the use of
power driven farm machinery and ru-
ral electrification. The National Safety
Council gives some rather interestlng
Information, For example, the Whole-
sale and retail tradesi had 15 deaths per
100,000; the manufacturing Industries,
for the same number of persons, 17
deaths; the Service Industries, 18 deaths;
public Utilities, 31 deaths; and farmers
52 deaths for the same number of work-
ers. Only transportation industries: had
a higher death rate, 53 deaths per 100,-
000 persons.
* *
WE MAY NOT THINK THAT MORE
leisure time would háve anything to do
with the selection. of risks. Ask the bxg
insurance companies. Much time is now
spent away from home in travel, es-
pecially with the automobile. A few
gports may be mentioned as having a
bearing upon the classification of an
applicant. No need to go into it until
We háve a much better underwritmg
branch in the Organizational Depart-
ment. And no need to point out, either,
that if our prospect passes the other
requirements but has no money with
which to pay his dues, he is not an im-
mediate good applicant.
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Valčík, Stephen. Věstník (West, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 15, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 11, 1956, newspaper, April 11, 1956; West, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth626806/m1/11/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Slovanska Podporujici Jednota Statu Texas.