Part. II: Insurance and Thrift 



FRANCE. 



SOME FOICMS OF ^lUTUAL INSURANCE 

 AGAINST ACCIDENTS IN AGRICULTURAL LABOUR. 



France has not yet solved the problem of insurance against accidents 

 in agricultural labour by any law. but at the present moment many of the 

 farmers are seriously considering their Uabihty in case of accidents befalling 

 those they employ. They are liable whenever an injured employee can caU 

 for the application of the general provisions of the Civil Code on account 

 of the fault or negUgence of the employer, as well as in the case of accidents 

 occurring in the use of machinen.' in farm work (Law of 1899). 



In the Revue des Sciences Politiques of February' 15th., 1914, M. Da- 

 niel ZoUa gives two interesting instances of the estabUshment of insurance 

 societies to meet this Uabihty. 



The first is pro^dded by the department of Vienne, where, in 1909, a 

 certain number of farmers formed a mutual insurance society having it 

 for its object : 



1st. To insure agricultural employers against accidents during 

 labour for which they might be considered hable and also to insure the 

 farmers themselves and their families. 



2nd. To offer paid employees security similar to that granted to 

 factory emploj^ees by the law of 1898. 



3rd. To estabUsh a tariff varying with the method of farming, the 

 class of farms and rate of wages in different districts. 



This last paragraph requires some explanation, in order that a clear 

 idea of the difficulty of the problem may be formed. 



The contribution paid by each farmer insured must be in proportion 

 to the risk he runs or causes other members of the society to run. 



These risks e\4dently van.' w4th the number of employees, with the 

 more or less dangerous nature of the work, and with the rate of wages, 

 for these must sorve as a basis for the amount of the claims allowed, that is 

 to say for the calculation of the risks for which the society accepts liabiHty 

 in place of the individual employers. 



