A few weeks later we wrote to all the Mutual Companies doing business in 

 Ontario, enclosing a card for reply asking whether they would co-operate with 

 us, and suggesting that if they were prepared to do so they should put a question 

 on their application form asking whether the buildings were rodded. We received 

 favorable replies from thirty-eight companies. In the beginning of December we 

 sent out report forms to be iilled by them. Eighteen of them kept a special record 

 of all business from July 1st, 1912, and reported results to us. 



In Ontario Efficiency of Eods in 1912 Was 94>^ Per Cent. 



From the reports of these eighteen companies, covering more than one-quarter 

 of the Province, it was found that in every 200 farm buildings insured, 42 were 

 rodded. which is 21 per cent., but out of every 200 farm buildings struck by 

 lightning only 3 were rodded — we should have expected 42 if the rods were no 

 good.* 



Or stating it in another way, in every 7,000 unrodded farm buildings insured 

 by these companies, 37 were struck by lightning, of which several were burned; 

 but out of every 7,000 rodded ones insured, only 2 were struck (and damaged 

 only)-— we should have expected 37 if the rods were no good, hence, in Ontario 

 as rods are installed, an unrodded building is 18^ times as likely to be struck 

 as a rodded one is. These results cover all kinds of rods used in Ontario and 

 doubtless include some improper rodding. To prevent damage in 35 cases out 

 of an expectancy of 37 means an efficiency of 941/^ per cent. 



This result was almost astounding. From scientific considerations we were 

 led to believe that rods must prevent strokes, but we were not prepared for such 

 a sweeping result as this. But you say, "This is only one year's reports, and an- 

 other year might gi\e the very opposite result." 



Efficiency of Bods in Ontario in 1913 was 92 per cent. 



During 1913 the insurance companies continued their most valuable co-opera- 

 tion. Forty of them kept special records for us, sixteen being able to give us 

 reports complete in every particular. They represented twelve different counties, 

 and. of the buildings insured by them 26.2 per cent, were reported as rodded, show- 

 ing an increase since last year of 5.2 per cent. The total number of claims paid 

 for lightning damage to buildings was 193, of which 36 were burned, amounting in 

 all to $40,904.53. If the rods had no effect — good or bad — we would have expected 

 26.2 per cent, of the strokes and damage would have been on rodded buildings, 

 which would mean 50 strokes and $10,715.98, while as a matter of fact the number 

 of strokes to rodded buildings was only 8, and the damage only $57.64, a saving of 

 $10,658.34. To save this amount out of an expectancy of $10,715.98 shows an 

 efficiency of 99.5 per cent. 



Of the other twenty-four companies, fifteen were located in the counties above 

 referred to and nine in other counties, in some of which the percentage of rodded 

 buildings is exceptionally high, a fact which we know by personal inspection, so 

 we may safely say that in the whole forty companies the rodded buildings total 

 26.2 per cent, or more. 



* Note: If the efRcieiicy be calculated from these figures it will not agree exactly 

 with that in the succeeding paragraph. This is because the actual percentage was not 

 exactly 21, but that was the nearest whole number — we could not have a fraction of a 

 building struck. 



