INSUEANCE SOCIETIES 147 



are lower. With the great development of agriculture during 

 the latter third of last century and the increasing value of the 

 stock, the number of insurance societies increased considerably, 

 notably between 1880 and 1910. 



An official inquiry made in 1915 ^ showed that there were 

 then in operation 2221 societies, besides some which only insured 

 ^.against diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease. Of these 

 / 2221 societies 1090 insured horses, 757 cattle, 212 pigs, and 

 162 insured several kinds of stock. The number of stock 

 insured was : of horses, 405,000, or 78*6 percent, of the total 

 number of horses in the country, comprising the horses on 

 81*8 per cent, of all holdings with horses ; of cattle 330,000 

 head, being 14*5 per cent, of all the cattle in the country, 

 but 36*4 per cent, of the number of herds. It appears from these 

 figures that the animals insured belonged mainly to small 

 herds. Sheep and pigs were insured only to an insignificant 

 extent. The societies are mostly small, half the number of 

 those insuring horses and cattle numbering less than 200 

 animals per society. The total value insured was : for horses 

 £16,300,000 (average per horse £40), for cattle £5,440,000 

 (average per head £16 85.). In annual premiums £390,000 are 

 paid for horses, for cattle £111,000. The cost of administration 

 is on an average 3 per cent, of the annual premiums. 



It is generally stipulated by the societies that animals 

 beyond a certain age or above a certain value are not accepted 

 for insurance. This has led to the formation of special societies 

 for insuring breeding stallions and bulls, the members of these 

 societies being mostly breeding societies. 



These voluntary co-operative insurance societies are not 

 only established by and for the smaller farmers, the majority 

 of the members in societies insuring cattle being smallholders 

 (Husmcend), but are also managed by them with prudence 

 and caution. Professor Harald Westergaard, to whose in- 

 vestigations most of the information of the older societies is 

 due, said in his report : "If one had previously learnt to 

 appreciate the ability and inteUigence of the Danish small- 

 holders, his estimation of them is certainly in no wise lessened 



1 Statistiske Efterretninger, 1916, No. 18 ; see also Statistisk Aarbog. 

 1916, Table 98. 



