30 SWITZliRLAXD - INSURANCE AND THRIFT 



4h 



§ 2. Insurance against hail. 



As in preceding years insurance against hail was practised in Switzer- 

 land in 1915 only by two companies — the Societe Suisse d' assurance contre 

 la grele which has its headquarters at Zurich and Le Paragrele of Neucha- 

 tel. The former company is active throughout the territor;,^ of the Confe- 

 deration and insures agricultural produce of all kinds against the risk of 

 hail ; the latter Ls active only in Neuchatel and assumes only the risks of 

 vineyards. 



In 1915 it was matter for regret that there were numerous and very 

 frequent falls of hail in Switzerland. The Annates de I'Office central suisse 

 de meteorologie pour 1915 (Zurich) record forty- five days in which heavy 

 falls of hail affected 921 communes and 372 districts, leaving out of ac- 

 count the hail-storms which had local effects, affecting only one or two com- 

 munes, and which were distributed over twenty-seven days and wrought 

 damage in forty-two communes. We give the dates of the worst falls 

 with the numbers of communes they affected. 



7 Jwne 



8 » 



13 July 



In the four years from 191 2 to 1915 the Societe suisse d'assurance con- 

 tre la grele registered as follows : 



44 60 49 59 days of hail 



5816 7715 5293 8816 declarations of losses. 



Le Paragrele, on the other hand, registed in 191 5 only a single day of 

 hail — 2 August — on which the fall did httle damage. The two companies 

 obtained different financial results. For Le Paragrele 1915 was an excel- 

 lent year but the Societe suisse closed its balance-sheet showing a deficit. 



In 1 91 5 the latter company concluded 1980 more insurancs than in 

 1 914 when it registered 3,490 such contracts. The sums insured increased 

 by 9,605,950 francs, having amounted to 9,692,050 francs in 1914. The sum 

 of the premiums received, on the other hand, diminished by 5,990.90 francs, 

 whereas in 1914 it had increased by 254,256.90 francs. The cause of the 

 diminution of receipts under this head is largety that the rebate of premiums 

 due from those of the insured who had suffered no loss from hail during the 

 last three years was raised from 10 to 20 per cent. 



The sura of the indemnities paid by this company in 1915 was almost 

 three times as large as the corresponding sum in 1914. The actual amounts 

 were 507,492 francs in 1914 and 1,392,482 francs in 1915. The latter sum 

 has been surpassed only in 1911 which was distinguished by many storms. 

 The amount of the premiums in 1915 was insufficient to cover that of 



