In the year 1885 the New York Life Insurance Company commenced to do business in India and continued actively there until the outbreak of the World War. A reinsurance arrangement was made in 1922 with the Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. Before disposing of the statistical records mortality investigations have been made, the results of which are now published in the hope that they may be of value to actuaries.

In the early years a goodly proportion of our policies were issued to British residents of India, but this condition gradually changed so that since 1900 the great majority of policies were granted on natives of India. The change was partly due to the British companies granting the former more liberal treatment than we did. In determining the rates of premium our Company did not distinguish between natives of India and others. Until the end of the year 1913 the Company charged the tropical scale of premium and then changed to the semi-tropical rates, with a restriction, however, to 10, 15 and 20-Year Endowment Insurances maturing not later than age 65.