Insurance of Live Stock. 539 



9. The pajr.ients of premiums ami the payments on policies maybe 

 made through tho Post Oiiice, allowing a percentage for exi:)ense ; and, 

 where it was necessary, special collectors might be employed. 



10. All payments on policies to be made on the authority of a 

 specially-aijpoiutcd officer in every county, acting under the inspection 

 of a committee. 



11. The accounts would be duly audited and published annually, 

 with a digest of the returns, and a report by the actuary. The 

 authentic facts thus elicited would throw light on the causes of cattle 

 diseases — would show us why, for instance, the mortality from cattle- 

 plague was 34 per cent, in Cheshire, 18 in Cambridgeshire, 14 in 

 Flintshire, 6 in Yorkshire, -09 in Devonshire. The causes being 

 known, might often be removed. 



12. All cattle imported should pay adequate premiiuns, and, if 

 healthy, receive policies covering a term of one month or more : the 

 premium to be collected by the officers of her Majesty's customs, and 

 paid into the account of the society at the Bank of England. The 

 losses on such policies to be recoverable on the proof of death by 

 disease supervening in England, precisely as in the case of beasts of 

 home origin. 



13. No person losing cattle uninsured to receive compensation under 

 any circumstances from any public rate. 



14. Landlords, for their own protection, as they do now in the case 

 of houses, might insist on the insertion of stock insui'ance clauses in 

 leases and covenants. 



15. Under these encouragements, it is probable that half the live 

 stock of the United Kingdom would be ultimately insiu-ed, and then 

 the sum insured would be nearly equal to the 77,000,000/. of insm-ed 

 agricultural stock, which, I am told, is not half the whole value of 

 such stock in the country. If a large portion of live stock is insured 

 the annual premium will amoimt to two or three millions, which will 

 sufficiently pay all losses and expenses. 



As in the case of dead stock, live stock insurance Avould work its 

 way gi'adually ; and recurring plagues, from which we can never hope 

 to be entirely exempt, will convince the most sceptical of its utility. 

 Fires, it is well knovsTi, are the advertisements of the foe insurance 

 offices. Whatever profits accrue should be divided annually among 

 the insurants, on the mutual principle. Unless the owners of a 

 million head of cattle gave in their adhesion, it woidd not be prudent 

 to commence operations. The alternative would then be to leave 

 things as they are, or to ask for the insurance of all the country, on a 

 plan which I lay ujion the table and place at the disposal of the 

 ' Journal ' of the Eoyal Agricultiu'al Society. 



Dr. CPtisr inquired what diseases Dr. Farr proposed to include in 

 his system of insiu^ance ? 



Dr. Farr : All diseases. It would be perfectly absurd to insure 

 against any one particular disease. It would as completely break 

 down, as if it were attempted to insiu'e against any special disease in 

 the human subject. Diseases could not be distinguished with sufficient 

 accuracy to carry on business on that principle. It was difficult 



