42 



Insurance of Live Stock. 



[APRIL, 



over twelve years of age. The value of the animals is 

 determined by a committee of the society. Since 1900 a central 

 institution similar to that described above has been in existence 

 for horses. 



Sweden. 



The Board have received through the Foreign Office 

 a memorandum by Sir Rennell Rodd on the insurance of 

 live stock in Sweden, of which a summary is given below. 



In the official statistics for 1905 some 327 mutual insurance 

 companies for live stock were stated to exist in Sweden, but 

 there were many more which had not forwarded their reports 

 for inclusion in the statistics, and it is stated that at the 

 present time there are as many as 674. Four of these are 

 companies operating on a large scale throughout the country. 

 Others are local, many of them working on quite a small scale, 

 under rules suitable to the special locality where they are estab- 

 lished. They are, however, all mutual in character, and work 

 on practically identical lines. The general insurance law in 

 force in Sweden lays down that insurance, except where it may 

 be a function of State, may only be undertaken by companies 

 or associations based on the principle of the mutual responsi- 

 bility of the participants, and that an insurance company may 

 not do any other business but insurance. This prevents 

 insurance being undertaken by agricultural societies formed to 

 exercise other functions as well. 



The only State control beyond the general powers of super- 

 vision prescribed by the insurance laws and the approval of 

 bye-laws is the obligation imposed upon all companies or 

 associations to furnish the Government Inspector of Insurance 

 with an annual, report. The State, however, sanctions 

 assistance being given by local administrative officials for 

 the collection of premiums, which in such cases are 

 paid with the Crown taxes. As a rule the premiums are 

 paid at the end of the year and not at the beginning, the 

 amount of the premium being contingent on the number of 

 accidents, cases of disease, &c, which have occurred during the 

 year. This system necessitates a loan for the initial expenses 

 when the association comes into being. 



Of the mutual associations existing in Sweden for the in- 

 surance of live stock, the Scandinavian Live Stock Insurance 



