A TABLE OF MORT. DEDUCED FROM OBS. AMONGST THE CLERGY, 1760 TO 1860, MADE BY THE REV. J. HODGSON.

0266 *0286 0308 6139 *0332

12.23 12:05 63 64 6035 216 5927 *0357 *9643 12.60 12.58 12.30 11.68 11.51 64

Mr. Brown offers the following obs. regarding the results of this T.:

We are naturally led to expect, for many reasons, that the clergy as a body would enjoy a longer duration of life than the average. Your tables, from the experience of more than 100 years, not only show below the age of 50 a rate of mort. considerably less than that of "Dr. Farr's Healthy Life Table" [HEALTHY LIFE TABLES]; but, comparing about half the number, or 2575 entrants during the present century with the total numbers for the whole period, the mortality in that period has been considerably less at every quinquennial group of ages than for the century past. The total deaths for the whole period, 1760 to 1860, were 3122 on 106,845 years of life obs., or 2'92 per cent., and of those who entered in this century only 1137 deaths on 46,266 years of life obs., or 2'46 per cent.

In our art. ANNUITIES ON LIVES, we omitted to give a specimen of the annu. values deduced from this Clergy Mort. T. We now supply the omission.

VALUES OF ANNU. ON SINGLE Lives at 3 and 5 P.C. (FIRST Payment due).

TABLE SHOWING THE PRESENT VALUE OF £I PAYABLE AT THE END OF THE YEAR IN WHICH A SINGLE LIFE MAY FAIL, AT 3 AND 5 P.C. INT.

We do not remember that any other annu. T. has been extended to such advanced ages. Dr. Farr, in his Healthy District Life T., included by way of appendix in 33rd Ann. R. of Reg.-Gen. (pub. 1872), says :-"It has been found by experience that this H. D.

Life T. expresses very accurately the actual duration of life among the clergy, and other classes of the community living under favourable circumstances." [HEALTHY District L. TABLE.]

Mr. Wilfred A. Bowser has [1873] prepared for the Assu. Mag., Notes on the Obs. of the Rev. John Hodgson, M.A., on the Mort. of the Clergy of England and Wales, with Remarks on the T. deduced therefrom by Mr. Samuel Brown, which it is desirable that we notice here.

Mr. Bowser points out that the orig. obs. embrace 5088 entrants, being mostly incumbents of livings; upwards of 100,000 years of life; and 3122 deaths. "The extent of the exp., combined with the fact that it extends over a century, and the careful manner in which the statistics were compiled, impart confidence to the obs. considered as an index of the value of clergy life.' He has prepared the following T., showing the force of mort. among the "entrants "-that is, among the clergy entering into the positions which brought them within the scope of Mr. Hodgson's obs.-during the last, as against those of the present century:

There is (says Mr. Bowser) a marked diminution in the mort. among entrants during this century, at all ages, but chiefly noticeable at the prime of life, viz. between ages 45 and 60, where the diminution amounts to about 32 p.c. Again :

Mr. Hodgson's "Numbers rated to be under obs." are arrived at in a different manner to that usually adopted, and are such that if divided into the number of deaths, the "force of mort." will be obtained, and not the "probability of dying." In constructing the accompanying tables from Mr. Hodgson's original obs., I have therefore disregarded his "Numbers rated to be under obs.," and have obtained the required number at each age by adding to the continuants from the preceding age half the entrants, and subtracting half the discontinuants otherwise than by death.

It is to be noticed that, with a view to make practical use of Mr. Hodgson's obs., Mr. Brown first reduces the average "force of mort." for decennial ages into the average "probability of dying."

Mr. Bowser considers that this mode of treatment has led to some variations from the true results, viz. has unduly increased the vitality, "especially at the older ages, to a somewhat serious extent." He has therefore computed the actual observed prob. of dying at each separate age, from the youngest to the oldest, "from which I have deduced a new mort. T., and have graduated the same by Mr. Woolhouse's method." Here is his T. of "Expectation of Life":

Here is his T. of Value of Annuities on Single Lives (first payment due at end of year) at 3 and 5 p.c. int.

Mr. Bowser considers that a comparison of these results with Mr. Brown's T. will be a sufficient justification for his having called attention to the subject.

In a paper just prepared [1873] jointly by Dr. W. H. Stone, the med. officer of the Clergy Mutual, and Mr. Stewart Helder, its Act., on the medical hist. of that So., the following T. of "ann. mort. p.c." is given, wherein the mort. of the clergy in the 18th and 19th centuries is deduced from Mr. Hodgson's obs., and contrasted with that of some other T.:

The results here again differ from those of Mr. Bowser, prob. for the reason already stated. CLERGY MUTUAL ASSU. So., founded in 1829, and enrolled under the Acts relating to Friendly Sos. The So. was purely mut. from the beginning, not having the aid of any proprietary cap. In view of this position of matters, the first members of the So. passed the following prudent resolution:

That the persons who have proposed to make assurances D-[life insurances] be admitted assurers of such assurances respectively, upon exhibiting the requisite certificate of health, and signing the proper declaration, provided such persons so to be admitted consent to waive any claim or title to any benefit which may arise from this assu., until 90 persons shall have been admitted for assu. of the same kind. And in the case of assurers being admitted, subject to the above provision, their first prem. shall be immediately paid. And should any assurer die, and the claim upon his or her assu. be void in consequence of the provision above, then shall the prem. which shall have been paid upon his or her assu. be returned, with int. thereupon at the rate of 5 p.c. p.a.

The required 90-the minimum number which it was considered would furnish a proper average was soon obtained, no death having in the mean time occurred; and of that confident little band, 14 still [30th Dec., 1872] survive. No pol. were actually issued, by reason of the above compact, until 1830.

But the So. was not to be confined to L. ins. only-it had a sickness branch, and prob. in view of the requirements of that branch, a guarantee fund of £5000 was contributed by the bishops, clergy, and other well-wishers of the So. That fund has always remained intact.

The founder of the So. was the Rev. John Hodgson, then Vicar of St. Peter's, Isle of Thanet. He has recorded the motives which led him to that step in very simple language: "Impressed as I was at that time with an idea that duration of life amongst clergymen would, upon experiment being made, be found to be longer than amongst laymen, I set myself to work to frame a scheme of assu. for the clergy and their families, based upon

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such a presumption." We have already seen that he lived to verify the fact which his sagacity had prognosticated. [CLERGY, LONGEVITY OF THE.]

The scheme of the So. was orig. that of a L. ins. asso. and a friendly so. combined. It still retains some of the features incident to the last-named purpose, although they have of late years been a good deal modified. The "Rules and Regulations" thus set forth its objects:

The raising of a stock or fund by means of the joint contributions of its members for the mut. relief of each other, their wives, children, relations, or nominees, in sickness, infancy, advanced age, widowhood, and other natural states and contingencies, the occurrence of which may be calculated by way of average; and for the lawful assu. of money to be paid on the death of members to their executors, administrators, or assigns, and for all such other assu. on lives, survivorships, contingencies, and events dependent on or connected with life, or otherwise, as may by law be made or effected.

The So. consists of honorary as well as assured members, but no hon. member has been admitted since 31st July, 1854 "Provision is assurable in it, by or on account of the clergy of the United Church of England and Ireland, and of the clergy of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Scotland, and their families and others, as specially provided for in the rules," of which the following is an outline:

IV. There shall be a committee of not less than 20 nor more than 30 directors for the due management of the So.; one half to be chosen from the clergy. V. There shall be a "council of reference," without whose advice and consent certain matters provided by the rules could not be carried into effect. VI. Sets forth classes of business to be transacted, of which more hereafter. VII. Prems. paid in advance, and not due at date of death, to be returned. VIII. The directors may purchase any ins. granted by the So. The series of rules as to sickness allowance follow; we shall speak of them later. XIX. The regulations as to foreign travel and residence are strict; but directors have power to relax them. Then follow rules as to "nomination policies." XXI. Relates to endowments and annu. XXV. Relates to fines for non-payment of prems. XXVII. relates to "Guarantee Fund Account." XXVIII. All the funds to be liable for assurances of the So. XXIX. As to investment of cap. XXX. As to audit of accounts. XXXI. Ascertainment and appropriation of surplus, quinquennially, by actuary or consulting act. XXXII. All alterations in rates to be sanctioned by actuary. XXXIII. Rules may be altered. XXXIV. Arbitration. XXXV. to XLI. Management, meetings, etc. XLII. "Council of Reference":

The Council of Reference consists of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York for the time being, and the Bishops of Lond., Durham, and Winchester, for the time being. All matters to be referred to the Council of Reference shall be referred by memorial, signed by the chairman and not less than four directors assembled at a special meeting; and such memorial, with copies thereof for each member of the Council, shall be laid before the Archbishop of Canterbury, and his Grace shall be humbly requested to obtain the opinions of the Council upon the matters referred to them. And in every such matter the opinion of the majority of the members of the Council, expressed in writing, and signed by such majority, shall be conclusive.

XLIII. All the property of the So. shall be invested in the names of trustees. XLIV. Treasurers. XLV. Actuary. "He shall also undertake all such matters and bus. in relation to the financial affairs of the So. or otherwise, as the Board of Directors shall from time to time direct." XLVI. Auditors. XLVII. Secretary. XLVIII. "Local Agents."

Local secretaries and agents, or local boards with local sec. and agents attached to them, may be appointed with the sanction of the Board of Directors, one or more in each diocese of England and W., with such powers and authority as may be delegated to them by the Board of Directors, suitable to the convenience of assured members, and the general interests and safety of the whole So., according to its rules and regulations.

XLIX. Directors to regulate admission of members. L. Forfeiture of ins. The remainder of the rules chiefly relate to special departments of the bus. LXIX. After 10th Oct., 1853, the So. to pay for all stamps on pol.

In the life branch, sums are ins. up to £7500 on any one life, but this limit is of course very much beyond that orig. fixed. Short-term and joint-life ins. are also granted. There is no non-par. scale. The children's endowment tables are conveniently arranged. Deferred and temporary annuities are granted under a variety of arrangements, calculated to suit the circumstances of the clergy. Rules applicable to each of these branches of bus. exist in great detail. Thus as to annu., Rule XXII. :

Whatever provision may be assured to a clergyman by way of annu., whether as an assurer on his own account, or as a nominee, shall be transferable to his wife at any time within six months after the day of his marriage, with the consent of all interested parties. But no such transfer shall be allowed unless upon a proper adjustment of the terms of the assu., according to the tables of the So., in proportion to the difference of age between the wife and husband. A satisfactory medical certificate of the husband's health at the time of trans. must be exhibited, and a sum of £5, or the amount of one year's prem., paid to the So. XXIV. No premium by way of annu., greater than £104, shall be assu., so as to be capable of being due at the same time upon the same life.

No immediate annu. are granted. The So. has a scheme of "EDUCATIONAL ANNUITIES," which we shall speak of under that head. [EDUCATIONAL ANNU.]

Regarding sickness, the So. had orig. several classes; but these have gradually been reduced to one, viz.: A provision of £26 p. a., or proportionably per week, or any