HE Official Organ Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order Of The State Of Texas. Founded 1897. BENEVOLENCE
VOLUME 54 — NO. 27
HUMANITY
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 with Undeliverable Copies to: SUPREME LODGE, SPJST, P. 0. Box 100, TEMPLE, TEXAS
JULY 6, 1966
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK THIS, THAT, AND THE OTHER District III's Youth Achievement Day was a huge success. No other district has been able to match the number of participants and entries in District III. There were 96 arts and crafts entries, 11 king and queen contestants, and 23 talent entries. It was indeed a full day, from 11 in the morning, an hour's break for lunch, and then until 9:30 in the evening. The sheer magnitude, scope, and myriad details of such a venture are staggering. Sister Wilma. Nesuda, District III Youth Director, and her assistants, and helpers, worked tirelessly to put everything together. Things of this nature can be accomplished only if everyone involved cooperates to the fullest. There are always a few kinks that crop up unexpectedly, but these will be ironed out with experience and time. • • Life insurance protection in the United States crossed the $900 billion mark in 1965, according to the Institute of Life Insurance. American families ended the year with nearly $900.6 billion of life insurance in force under more than 320.1 million individual policies and group certificates with legal reserve life insurance companies. This was a record increase of more than $102.7 billion or 12.9 per cent over the year-end 1964 total. The number of
policies and certificates in force rose by more than 11.8 million during 1965. A big factor was the historic Servicemen's Group Life Insurance program, which President Johnson signed into law on Sept. 29, 1965. SGLI automatically provided $27.8 billion of term insurance, underwritten by private life companies, on the lives of nearly 2.8 million servicemen from the 50 states and the District of Columbia (plus about $199 million on some 20,000 servicemen from Puerto Rico and U. S. territories and possessions). California again showed by far the largest increase in life insurance protection of any state, although New York continued to have the largest total amount of life insurance in force. New York's year-end total was nearly $96.8 billion, an increase of more than $8.2 billion or 9.3 per cent during the year. California's total was $90.2 billion, up $9.9 billion or 12.3 per cent. Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas each had increases of more than $5 billion. Auto and Life Insurance Another kind of insurance affects most of us — in the pocketbook. By now, Texas automobile drivers know that new and higher auto insurance rates take effect August 1st. The State Board of Insurance raised automobile premiums an average of 5.9 per cent, and warned us that an even bigger
boost is coming next year. Hardest hit by the new rates are men under 25. Liability rate increases for unmarried males who own their own cars will run as high as $30 in .Houston, $21 in Dallas, $26, in Fort Worth, and $19 in San Antonio. Auto rates are based on the ratio of paid claims to premiums. "Until an adequate highway safety program is enacted, the slaughter on Texas highways will continue and auto insurance rates will necessarily increase," stated Insurance Commissioner Hunter McLean. The average dollar increase for the typical driver's policy, which includes basic liability, $100 deductible collision and full comprehensive coverage will be about $2.11. These increases are annoying, to say the least, especially to the motorist who is a careful driver and has had no accident chargeable to his neglect. Under the present system, the "good" drivers have to pay the penalty along with the habitual offenders. This does not appear fair. The leading villian in the whole traffic picture is the had or reckless driver who causes most of the accidents. Insurance companies cannot be blamed for that type of driver. Here's how some of our "good" drivers contribute to the soaring auto insurance costs: they connive with auto repairmen to pad bills for insurance-covered repairs or to get other