1907.] 



Co-operative Horse Insurance. 



275 



CO-OPERATIVE HORSE INSURANCE. 

 W. L. Charleton. 



Not much has been done up to the present time to apply 

 co-operative principles in any systematic manner to the 

 Insurance of Live Stock in Great Britain and Ireland. There 

 are in existence certain commercial companies which have been 

 established for the purpose of enabling owners of stock to 

 insure their property, but these are in no sense co-operative, 

 and the premiums do not encourage great advantage being 

 taken of their existence by smaller farmers. 



Many instances are to be found where material benefit has 

 been derived locally by the formation of so-called " cow clubs " 

 and " pig clubs."* In some counties, notably in Lincolnshire 

 and Derbyshire, these are fairly numerous, and isolated 

 instances exist from Nothumberland to Cornwall. Many of 

 these, for the greater part " voluntary," and therefore un- 

 registered Associations, are of quite old standing, and their 

 formation can sometimes be traced back to the early years 

 of last century. Unfortunately, no attempt has yet been 

 made to co-ordinate, and bring these bodies into touch with 

 one another. Their establishment has been due entirely to 

 local initiative from time to time, and consequently there is 

 much diversity of rules and methods of management. No 

 active steps have as yet been taken to promote others, or even 

 to foster those in existence, which it will be found have in- 

 variably been of great usefulness wherever established, 

 especially to small holders and cottagers. On the Continent, 

 associations for the mutual insurance of all kinds of live stock 

 on co-operative lines are to be found organized in Federations, 

 thus gaining in financial strength, should unfortunately an 

 epidemic of disease occur in any one locality. The principles 

 on which such associations are conducted ensure great economy, 

 and thereby allow of insurance at a relatively lower rate than 

 can be secured in this country. 



Evidence that mutual insurance of one — and that not the 

 least valuable description of live stock — can be successfully 

 undertaken on only a small scale is furnished by the 

 ninth Annual Report, recently issued, of the Newark Horse- 

 keepers' Insurance Company, Limited. This undertaking, 



See " Cow and Pig Clubs in Lincolnshire," yW; May, 1905, Vol. xii., p. 82. 



S 2 



