claims to the amount of about $75,000. From January 1, 1897, to September 30, 1904, $74,909.66 was paid to beneficiaries, making a total paid since organization of about $150,000.

The National Association of Letter Carriers of the United States of America was organized at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1889. In 1891 the Association was incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey, and on February 26, 1892, was reincorporated under the laws of the State of Tennessee. The aim of this organization is "to unite fraternally all the letter carriers in the United States so as (a) to secure their rights as Government employees and to promote the welfare of every member, and (b) to found the United States Letter Carriers' Mutual Benefit Association."^[33] The first annual session appointed a committee to draw up a plan for an insurance system. The report was published in January, 1891, and was considered by the National Association at its second annual session in August, 1891,^[34] and the Mutual Benefit Association was instituted.^[35] The insurance has always been voluntary and consequently the membership of the Benefit Association has been only a small part of that of the National Association. On July 1, 1905, there were 5318 members carrying insurance to the amount of $13,866,000, while there were 19,000 members of the National Association.

All the railway organizations described above make a distinction between death and disability insurance, and sick and accident insurance. The local unions have been prohibited either specifically or by implication from maintaining any association or society for paying death and disability benefits. This rule was first established by the Conductors. During the early years of the Conductors' national organization, 1868-1880, many subordinate divisions maintained mutual benefit associations for the payment of death and disability insurance. The growth of the national benefit department was thus retarded, and at the tenth annual session in October, 1877, subordinate divisions were prohibited from maintaining "mutual benefit societies."^[36] The national organizations, on the other hand, do not furnish accident insurance, but leave this function to the local bodies. In the formation of this policy, also, the Conductors took the initiative by providing in their first national constitution in December, 1868, that the order should never become a weekly benefit association.^[37] The Engineers had a similar provision as early as September, 1869; but national regulations governing the payment of weekly benefits were nevertheless formulated. The other unions have followed this policy, and their constitutions provide that the weekly benefits shall be levied, collected, and distributed according to national rules.

The most striking characteristic of the insurance features of these organizations has been the combination of disability and death insurance. The fact that railway employees are specially exposed to the risks of disabling accidents has been the chief influence in this direction. The large number of claims paid for disability in the Conductors', the Firemen's, and the Trainmen's beneficiary departments during recent years shows the high importance of disability insurance to the men engaged in the more hazardous occupations. The disability claims paid among the Firemen for the eleven years from 1894 to 1904 were 24.5 per cent. of the total number of claims paid, or about one third of the number of death claims paid. Among the Conductors the disability claims, paid during the same period, amounted to one seventh of the death claims paid. The disability claims paid by the Trainmen during twenty years, 1884-1904, were 32.5 per cent. of all claims paid.

The proportion of disability to death claims has decreased in each of these organizations in recent years. The disability claims paid by the Conductors in 1894 were 15.6 per cent. of the total number, and at the close of 1904, 11.8 per cent.; while among the Firemen the percentages for the biennial terms 1894-1896 and 1902-1904 were 32.9 per cent. and 21.4 per cent., respectively. The claim statistics of the Trainmen show the same tendency although there are great variations from year to year. In 1890, 1895 and 1897 the percentage of disability claims rose to 40, 41 and 40, respectively, while in 1888, 1900 and 1903 the percentage fell to 28, 29 and 27, respectively.