240 AGRICULTURAL ORGANISATION 



the members of the small holders' societies owing to the 

 comparatively slight extent of their business hitherto ; but 

 more is likely to be done in these directions as the small 

 societies are linked up with the large trading societies in 

 their own neighbourhood. 



M. CO-OPERATIVE INSURANCE. 



Many inquiries having reached the Agricultural Organisa- 

 tion Society as to whether or not it would be likely to 

 undertake insurance of agricultural risks, on co-operative 

 principles, the subject was taken into consideration early 

 in 1906, and a scheme for the formation of a Co-operative 

 Insurance Society was drawn up by Mr. W. M. Tod, then 

 chief organiser, and referred alike to a sub-committee and 

 to an actuary. The latter said in his report : " I regard 

 the suggested society as likely to be of very great value 

 to the members ... I feel confident that the scheme is a 

 sound one and may be safely undertaken." The objects of 

 the society were to be to insure its members against loss of 

 their property by fire, liability under the Workmen's 

 Compensation Act, and loss of live stock by death, and to 

 take up any other class of insurance that might be thought 

 expedient ; though it was proposed to proceed in the first 

 instance in regard to fire insurance only. 



The sub-committee's recommendation was that the A. O. S. 

 should not itself promote the formation of a co-operative 

 insurance society, but that, if the affiliated societies them- 

 selves wished to start one on the lines of Mr. Tod's proposals, 

 the A. 0. S. should let it be understood the scheme had its 

 approval. The sub-committee also recommended that in 

 any scheme undertaken the services of a certain number of 

 gentlemen well versed in insurance business should be 

 secured, as it could not be expected that the members of 

 agricultural societies would, as a rule, possess the requisite 

 technical knowledge. 



Through suggestions made to the Post Office Committee 

 on Employers' Liability Insurance, before which Mr. W. 



