AGRICUI/rURAL ACCIDENT INSURANCE 47 



According to article 4 of the Belgian law of December 24tli., 1903, 

 compensation is only given when the accident has caused total disablement 

 for more than a week ; in this case, compensation is paid from the day 

 succeeding the accident. In this way it was hoped that accidents of very 

 small importance would not be reported ; but experience has shown that it 

 would be well not to have this delay : it is a cause of dissatisfaction among 

 the victims of slight accidents and leads more than one of them to prolong 

 the consequence of the accident. A labourer who could resume work five 

 or six days after the accident wiU be tempted only to resume it on the ninth 

 or tenth day, just on account of the delay prescribed by the law. 



The compensation is due to the victim by contract ; it is paid in any 

 case, for the law only excludes accidents caused intentionall}-. The claim paid, 

 as we have said, is 50% of the loss incurred and this principle applies whal- 

 er er be the importance of the accident. 



In case of small permanent lesions, it is difficult to justify payment of 

 compensation to agricultural labourers. The intention of the law was 

 to make up for the diminution of the working capacity of the labourer to the 

 extent his wages were affected by it. Now many small permanent lesions 

 entail no diminution of working capacity, or if there is an}" real diminu- 

 tion, it has no effect on the wages, above all, in a country like Belgium where 

 it is becoming difficult to find agricultural labourers ; the farmer does not 

 take account of a lesion or infirmity of small importance. On the other hand, 

 compensations in the form of a few francs a year scarcely improve the situ- 

 ation of the victims. It would be much better to cancel the right to com- 

 pensation, in case of disablement not felt in the actual economic conditions, 

 and not causing a diminution of professional capacity. 



It is understood that the masters or their insurers, who have to pay 

 less on account of permanent disablement of smaU importance not being 

 compensated, might be obliged b}^ law to give larger compensation in cases 

 of more serious disablement. 



Also, in the adjacent countries, experience has shown the uselessness of 

 compensation for accidents of small importance. Thus, to mention an 

 example, the German professional agricultural insurance societies, supported 

 by the chambers of agriculture and the agricultural leagues of their district, 

 have on various occasions requested that it should be laid down in the law, 

 that only in cases of diminution of working capacity b}- more than 20 ° „ 

 should permanent compensation be given. 



Compensations in cases of permanent disablement must be paid as 

 annuities, provided the amount exceeds sixty francs annually; otherwise 

 the judge can, at the request of the part}^ concerned, order the pension to 

 be commuted. 



Art. 7 of the law provides that at the request of the victim or his repre- 

 sentatives, the judge may decree that a third part at most of the amount 

 of the pension shall be paid in cash. 



