American companies, $915,793,798; and British, 

 $76,898,816. The premium income of Canadian 

 companies was $57,212,371; British, $2,765,829; 

 foreign, or chiefly American, $30,234,734. 



Fire insurance in force increased by approxi- 

 mately $1,000,000,000 during the year, it also 

 having been the best year experienced in this 

 class in Canada. British companies with old 

 established connections have a long lead over 

 their Canadian and American rivals, though the 

 last mentioned are coming along very fast. The 

 total amount of fire insurance in effect at the 

 end of 1920 was $5,971,330,272, compared with 

 $4,923,024,381 at the end of 1919. 



The premium income of all companies was 

 $50,565,856, compared with $40,031,474 in 1919. 

 The premium income of British companies was 

 $25,325,678; in 1919, $20,377,871 ; foreign (chiefly 

 American) companies, $17,247,760; in 1919, 

 $13,237,765; Canadian companies, $7,992,418; 

 in 1919, $6,415,838. The fire losses during 1920 

 were higher than in 1919, having been $22,931, 129 

 compared with $16,679,373. The loss ratio for 

 the year was higher than in 1919, having been 

 45.3 percent., as compared with 41.7 per cent. 

 The 1920 ratio was, however, well below that 

 for the previous 10 years which had averaged 

 over 50 per cent. 



Automobile, Burglary, Hail, etc. 



Companies insuring automobiles had rather 

 unfortunate experiences through thefts and col- 

 lisions, the former being due to the prevalence 

 of the crime wave. Automobile insurance, includ- 

 ing fire risk premiums, paid $2,366,540; losses 

 incurred, $1,250,241; claims paid, $1,186,655. 

 Excluding fire risk, premiums paid $2,886,941; 

 losses incurred, $1,598,768; claims paid, $1,506,- 

 614. The number of cars increased from 8,937 

 in 1910 to 408,999 in 1920, while the premiums 

 paid increased from $80,466 to $5,253,081. 



Burglary insurance experienced a marked 

 increase over 1919, the increase in premiums 

 paid being $150,000, or 45.3 per cent. The 

 increase in losses paid was $127,193, or 108%, 

 while the increase in claims paid was $90,772, or 

 79 per cent. 



Hail insurance companies had a better year 

 than in 1919, the premiums paid being $5,796,- 

 502; losses incurred $2,370,932; claims paid, 

 $2,377,801. 



Throughout Canada generally, there was a 

 decrease in the cost of plate glass insurance. 

 The premiums paid were $690,079; losses 

 incurred, $411,813; claims paid, $409,393. 



Accident insurance premiums paid, $2,340,- 

 732; losses incurred, $905,033; claims paid, 

 $949,711. Liability insurance, premiums paid, 

 $3,161,377; losses incurred, $1,628,213; claims 

 paid, $1,535,311. 



Tornado insurance presents the rather curious 

 statement of losses incurred, $29,155; claims 

 paid, $155,931. This is explained by the fact 



that a very heavy storm visited Eastern Canada 

 in November, 1919, but many of the claims were 

 not settled until 1920. The premiums paid were 

 $158,321. 



The total of insurance premiums paid to 

 British and foreign (almost entirely American) 

 companies during the year was in excess of 

 $80,000,000. Of this, $47,000,000 went to Ameri- 

 can Life and Fire companies, and $28,000,000 to 

 British companies, the remainder being divided 

 among many other classes of insurance com- 

 panies, the greater part of which are American. 



The Industrial Outlook in Western Canada 



By John Sweeting, Industrial Agent, Western Lines, 

 C.P.R., Winnipeg. 



The movement towards better trading con- 

 ditions during the past month has been just 

 perceptible, perhaps more noticeable because of 

 growing confidence in the outlook on the part 

 of all classes of producers and distributors. A 

 quicker recovery is likely in the West as crop 

 conditions feature more largely than any other 

 form of industry, and, in a general way, spring 

 seeding conditions are quite fair and in many 

 cases better than for some years past. The 

 season is somewhat late, but the moisture situa- 

 tion is good and the farmers are seeding as 

 much land as possible. There has been enough 

 labor available for farm requirements at fair 

 wages, and men requiring work, who were ready 

 to go on the land, were easily placed. 



There has been a steady influx of new settlers 

 from the United States and Great Britain of a 

 good agricultural class, with a fair amount of 

 money and other assets. Many have taken up 

 land, while others of the farm labor class, more 

 especially from the United Kingdom, have 

 secured suitable positions. Colonization efforts 

 looking to adequate and successful placing of 

 people on the land are being carried on with 

 promising results, which will eventually tend to 

 greater stability in Western agricultural pro- 

 duction. 



There has not been much change in con- 

 ditions pertaining to factories ; practically all are 

 maintaining their output, and differences on 

 question of wage scales have not so far been of 

 sufficient importance to cause any great dis- 

 turbance. Wages of the building construction 

 trades are still under consideration, looking to a 

 reduction of from ten to fifteen cents an hour, 

 and it appears probable that the new scale will 

 be accepted. In Manitoba, the bringing into 

 effect last year of the Industrial Council has 

 minimized possibilities of strikes, there being a 

 readiness on the part of all classes to submit 

 disputes to the Council in question for adjust- 

 ment. 



Proposed Construction Operations 



There has been considerable delay in pro- 

 ceeding with any large construction program, 



112 



