DRUIDS IN FORCE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 285, 26 August 1908, Page 11

DRUIDS IN FORCE.

\ INTERVIEW..WITH--PRIME MINISTER. ' •—■- \ CLAUSES NOT WANTED. V A huge deputation of some fifty members ■ 'of friondly- Societies interviewed the Primo Minister yesterday 'morning, on behalf of the tho Dominion;' The interview- took; plnce in tho'Parliamentary. Library. \ A|..nuitibbr; of members of Parliament were \ also-present. .■ ' . . \ Mr. W. T. Jennings, M.P., in introducing \ tho deputation, said tho object of tho depu- \ protest against clauso 16 of : \t'ne'j?riendly Societies Consolidation Bill (re■latirigi'.to -the- levy of'death duties). -Tho ■' Sruids' lo.dgo was not on thq- same footing othe'r. 'friendly' societies, 'which had been founded. in tho early days, and which had • grants of land. Tho order had gone alono on a system ,of its own. Ho introduced Mr. G. • Hold who would elaborate.-tho position. Mi'. E. 'Bold, of Wellington, representing : tho .North Island District Grand Lodge of - the'-XJ.A.O.D.,' stated that the total number of friendly.'society.- members in New Zealand ■was;6o,ooo,"of which number 13,000 belonged ' to itlid- Order of Druids. Clauses 15 and 16 'of-tho'new Bill, which were objected to, seemed' to niahb compulsory what had been optional,'namely: tho adoption of rates of contribution, defined .'-by-- tho Registrar of Friendly: Socfeties. It-was previously laid down .both, in England - and hero that the ..'Registrar had. nothing to do yyith tho wisdom on unwisdom of tho : arrangements, but ' the , now clauses N would make him virtually the general manager of all friendly societies, and would . bring tho societies into' conflict ' - with him as in New South Wales. Presumably,' ' • tho .• clauses' 'were, duo to certaiif resolutions "'passed at a conference.■ iii ■■Wellington 1 two years ago, but they thought that the resolutions were passed without a duo- appreciation of. their ' consequences. 'Nor was it intended' that the principles agreed to should, affect existing societies, and indeed it was supposed by some • that tho obnoxious clauses ' would • not apply .to; tho societies. Ho thought otherwise, and considered that the result would bo to destroy an important plank _of tho Druids' constitution,' and'would prevent new branches formed." Besides this, Druids there were • 65P0 members of other societies opposed, to .tlio clauses, so that whoover might; support them, thero were at\teast 2Q,000 members of- friondly sccieties in Now Zealand opposed to theso clauses. Ho fur- • ther contended that. the conference of two years ago was imperfectly constituted as to voting, power. Mr.. Bold. went .oil,to rfelato, '• the'failure, of attempts made in England to' impose a compulsory actuarial scheme upon friendly', societies. As showing that Now . friendly societies were not in so bad' a position as to need such drastic troat- • meiit, ho quoted figures to provo that the , . ca pital; per head of tho friendly societies in this country .was greater than in. any of. the Australian States, namely, £9 13s. 6d. They felt that the actuaries were a little too severe upon th'em, in that they debited, every, benefit given to members.as a liabiiity,„ but re,-' fused • to credit them with ■ many circumstances that tended to reduce tho liabilities. A speech'' by the Premier on. the railways superannuation scheme was quoted, the argument ,Sir Joseph Ward on that occasion being'that tho. experience of an old and successful benefit society like that connected with the London ,and North Western Railway Company, should bo trusted rather than actuarial theories. ,

• P Re^ n said thoro ff as a feeling,tliat the two clauses in tho-Bill were investing the. licgistrar-General with too autocratic, power. If tho Bill went through its present form _ it would be incompetent for y S °T^ y t0 £? un , d al]y new brandies & the drast!o P™Posals !",K he , ® l! l- Jhe Druids were absolutely coil(Hear lea" ) oppositipn to the clauses. Grant (North-Island) said the remarks of the foregoing speakers wore the opinions of the order throughout the Do■immon. ■ ' .• ...

J w <[ miSter ' l n T 6 Ply. said ho was he^l ; P S rt '? mtr of Soaring' the to t?ll^^-'l? rU i S; &0C i ß i y - 'F e WO "U iikc „ R; km } o,v , cla :f s 15 and 16 came into f ll ' pnd Y, hy th ?y were put there. It BRI that those clauses were not in the rnnf«?L ClrC c 1 6 year > although the conference of two years ago had suggested something °fthc kind. Before the Bill 't if- th ® P° infc wi th S+? 3 ? r ° Friendly Societies, and came to the conclusion that such clauses were not for thb in+ 10 Bin u had been circulated IjJ V information of the friendly societies, rcry strong representations were made to him to .include such clauses, and he did so, ana again the Bill was circulated for the information- of the societies-. Hithe-to the qbjections had come chiefly from the Druids, but it was only right that they should have the ..fu lest opportunity of making their views known. Ho intended that the Bill m;++ r rcct J? a Parliamentary Committer, which would consist of members'connoted- with, or knowing.a good deal about iriendly. societies, and ho would suggest that should he made to that com-mitte-on behalf of the Druids and tlio other The Government wanted to help' the friendly societies, and not to injure any of them. .If the Druids had a different system, and found the clauses inimical to them, there was no reason why they should not be protected. But there we're other societies which wanted the clauses; ■ \ _Mr. Bold:. We don't object to that (iiear, hear.) ■~.l^ < ? 1 /^ r 1 ' mo n j t j ter: There was no reason wjij. tho Jaw should not be elastic enough for all; He would see that the Druids would have, an opportunity of placing their position befoTe the Select Committee, arid he latwn 6 S . UCCCS3^U ' discriminating legis-