FRIENDLY SOCIETIES' BILL

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 279, 18 August 1908, Page 6

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES' BILL

The provisions of tho Friendly Societies Consolidation Bill, which is now before Parliament/ were considered at the meeting of the Pacific Lodge, U.AiO.D., at its fortnightly meeting last night, and it, was resolved—"That tho lodge request the Executive of tho Grand Lodge to forward to tho Premier and other members of the Government its strong protest against tho reactionary provisions recently placed in the Bill, particularly Sections 15, 16, 20, and 27, 'as being an interference with the hitherto existing right and freedom of al] Friendly Societies to manago their own affairs apart from Governmental interference, a right which the British Government has steadfastly upheld and refused to interfere with." The mover staled that these provisions had not taken him by surprise, as he had been on the lookout for them over since the Friendly Societies' Conference met in May, 1906, but it was a notable fact that they had not previously appeared in tho_ Bills which had' been circulated for tho consideration of societies, and he stated that there was no doubt that these provisions, although ostensibly made in tho name of solvency, were really an attempt to make impossible tho continuation of their spccial death levy scheme. He complimontcd the promoters on tho astuteness and success of their endeavours up-to tho present time, but said that before such a provision reached tho Statute Book of tho Dominion thirteen thousand' Druids would I want to know tho reason why.