38 iMADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN VOL. XIV, 



The oversight of the insurance of fishing craft is another charge 

 of Government, a special officer, termed Inspector of Insurances 

 for fishing- boats, being appointed to supervise the societies 

 formed for this purpose. One of these is of great importance, its 

 operations covering the whole of Denmark. Besides this, there are 

 a number of smaller ones, purely local in their operations. The 

 rules of some of these latter, being of more recent organization, 

 are in certain respects better than those of the large society ; I was 

 informed that these improved rules will be adopted by the latter 

 society when next its regulations are under revision. The rate of 

 premium varies according to the locality in which the boats fish; 

 in the protected waters of the Great and Little Belts and in certain 

 sounds it is as low as 2 per cent, while for boats working in the 

 North Sea it rises to ^Yz per cent. 



Several of the local societies include a separate section for the 

 insurance of nets and gear As in the case of the Norwegian 

 society mentioned previously, no one may become a member of the 

 net-insurance branch unless he is already a member of the parent 

 society and has his boat insured therein. The accounts also are 

 kept separate and the greatest strictness is observed in ascertain- 

 ing the correct valuation of the gear upon which insurance is 

 desired ; neither may it be insured for its full value — the owner must 

 bear a substantial proportion of the risk on his own shoulders. 



As in Norway all fishermen in common with seamen and land 

 workpeople are compelled to be insured against injury or death in 

 the pursuit of their calling on a system analogous to the British 

 Workmen's Compensation Act. 



The lines upon which technical instruction is afforded to 

 fishermen approximate to those adopted in Norway, namely, facili- 

 ties for the acquisition of the elements of navigation in so far as 

 is suitable for a fishermen's vocation, and instruction in the run- 

 ning and care of marine motors. In one main respect the Danish 

 method differs from the Norwegian ; instruction is given at fixed 

 centres and not by travelling teachers. This is due to the concen- 

 tration of the Danish fishing industry at a comparatively few ports 

 and to the comparatively short distance at which any outport is 

 from one of the teaching centres. 



In respect of navigation, there are three special schools main- 

 tained exclusively for fisheimen. Each is given a subsidy to the 

 extent of from Kr. 1,500 to Kr. 2,000 by Government, with extra grant 



