MUNICIPAL INSURANCE AGAINST HAII, IN SASKATCHEWAN 45 



resolved " that the provincial government be requested to loan the 

 Commission enough money to pay all claims in full ". 



§ 4. The PROPOSED AMENDEMNT OF THE SCHEME. 



A very general desire was shown by Saskatchewan farmers for the con- 

 tinuance of the Municipal Hail Insurance Scheme in an amended form. 



It had been abundantly proved that insurance of this nature, since it 

 was not profit-making but co-operative, and since it could be administered 

 by the municipal organization, was less costly than the insurance af- 

 forded by private firms if it could but be made equally secure. But under 

 the existing scheme farmers could not have complete protection unless they 

 insured with a private company the risk left uncovered by the Commission. 



Representatives of the rural municipalities under the Municipal Hail 

 Insurance Act held a convention to consider the amendment of the scheme. 

 At this meeting 39 municipaHties did not vote or were not represented, but 

 78 voted in favour, and only 22 against, the full payment of all the claims 

 of 1916. Proposals for amending the scheme were submitted to the con- 

 vention and all of thenr provided for a) such full payment, b) the rendering 

 absolute of insurance as afforded by the scheme. 



Subsequently the convention appointed a committee consisting of 

 the three Commissioners, the secretary of the Grain Growers' Association 

 and five representative of the municipalities ; and these, at meetings held 

 in Regina from 10 to 27 November 1916, considered the proposals submit- 

 ted to the convention and other suggestions for amending the scheme. Their 

 report was presented to the reeves and representatives of rural municipa- 

 lities under the Act and to the provincial government on 27 November. 



a) Provision for Meeting Losses of 1916 in Full. 



The committee offered two alternative suggestions for the meeting 

 of the losses of 1 916 in full. 



i) They proposed that the ratepayers should be consulted as to whe- 

 ther they would agree to a special levy of 2 cents an acre during 1917 only, 

 the amount accruing from such levy to be applied in part payment of the 

 losses of 1 91 6. 



2) They pro])Osed that the rural municipalities under the Act should 

 have an opportunity of voting as to whether they would accept resj^onsi- 

 bility for the 1916 deficit, on condition that if not less than eighty of them 

 agreed to meet their proportion of such deficit, such eighty would be re- 

 quired to make provision, by sinking fund, debenture issue or otherwise 

 or through the commission, to meet for ten years an annual call for not more 

 than $3,000 from each municipality. 



