Only a few unions have decreased the amount of the benefit from that first established.  Among these are the Brotherhood of Carpenters, the Brotherhood of Leather Workers on Horse Goods, the Tailors’ Union, and the Metal Polishers’ Union.  In the case of the Carpenters the death benefit which was originally established at $250 in 1882 was $100 in 1905.  Changes of this kind have naturally followed the too liberal policy of inexperienced unions.

The following table, giving the amount of the death benefit as originally established and as paid at present in certain of the more important unions which have adopted the graded death benefit, illustrates the variety of forms which the systems take: 

Amount of death benefit.
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| | Date of | |
|Date of |Introducing|Amount of Death |Amount of Death
Name of | Organi-| Death | Benefit Paid |Benefit Paid in Union | zation | Benefits | Originally | 1905. -------------------------
------------------------------------------------- Boot and | 1895 | 1898 | $50 for six months’ |$50 for six months’ Shoe | | | membership. | membership.  Workers | | | $100 for two years’ |$100 for two years’
| | | membership. | membership.
| | | |
Carpenters,| 1881 | 1882 | $250 for six months’|$100 for six Brotherhood| | | membership. |months’ membership. of | | | |$200 for one year’s
| | | |membership.
| | | |
Cigar | 1864 | 1867 | Yield of a 10 |$50 for two years’ Makers | | | cent per capita | membership.
| | | assessment. |$200 for five
| | | | years’ membership.
| | | |$350 for ten years’
| | | | membership.
| | | |$550 for fifteen
| | | |years’ membership.
| | | |
Granite | 1877 | 1877 | $50........... |$50.  Cutters | | | |$75 for six months’
| | | | membership.
| | | |$100 for one year’s
| | | | membership.
| | | |$150 for five
| | | | years’ membership.
| | | |$200 for ten years’
| | |