AUSTRALIAN MUTUAL PROVIDENT SOCIETY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 119, 31 March 1864, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN MUTUAL PROVIDENT SOCIETY.

Wk have b-en favour., d with tlie report of the I fifteenth annual mc-t-tiu.tc of this .Society, in ; which the flourishing nature of its luisinoss ; transactions are apparent. Tiiis 5, ; ,-ietv. like '. otliers of a similar nature, was established with a df>ire to promote among the less thinking portion of the community habits of forethought ! and ca'-efulness, ami to enable persons who were ■ living simply by the daily produce of the hand ! ..r the I trow, to provide in the event of death for ! those who were dear to them, or to secure for j themselves in old a-e the means of retiring from lalioiir with some decree of coififort. j Siu>-o the last meeting it appears thnt Soil new ' poln-ic> liavc 1ie,.,! i»ncd »-u lives the i sum of L-l:<;].7i»S 12s. : fijrht deferred annuity policies, and 212 endowment policies ; the Ims'i- ' ne-s of ,Ni:i exceeding that of the previous war by :'>.'.") policies. The agents for the Soeiet vin Auckland are the Mc.-rs. (iiilillun. " I A> a coiiclu>iun we extract the following from tlie speech of .Sir Alfred Stephen, at the meeting ; field in Sydney : — ' ] As incidental to what he (.-sir Alfred Stephen), hud Mild in the roiiin-eiieiiiir portion of his address, lie 'M-hed to olicr two or tiiiv.- observations w.th reference to ..id av.e annuities. or , lt , they were termed in til.- tables, deferred annuities : « .-üb-icct in which he tcir a deep intrre-t. He did not think •■~ re ««. auv \ mode by whi h the working classes of lh:seommiiniu could hem., re benejined.thanb.) hem- eurounited j To purchase these old u<;<- annuities. lie ( ,1i,,-nj|iv ! the report, that there had only beer, eijjhl of these I applied for durinij the past year. He"h.oked upon the acquirement of a secured )>vo\ ision of this nature a> ot a very valuable eharaeter. The m,iv art of purchase was one of thought. and care for the future: and the result would he in most eases the means ol keeping people from the workhouse, or. in case 1 hey should -d there, of -upplyiun; ilu-in with comforts which they could not g<-i in a workhouse If. therctoiv, instead of t-ijjht of these annuilies. next \,-nieighty *r eight hundred -houid be obtained, wh'le it would increase the proli's of that brunch of the Society, (for the hem-tit exclusively of the annuitants thein-elves), it would, lie belie\ed, do vast -ood in inducing provident habits wnong the working classes, and lessening their patronage of the public-house with its attendant evil.,. (Hear, hear.) When a man was led to look forward to the fu< ure, and think not only how hi., family would In- provided for when he was none, hut how' he was himself to he maintained in the time of oM am , and diminished bodily strength, this Society presented the means of niakin'n the provision he desired. * * * * '['", s.-.-m-e a person un iniuity of CIS p-r annum. Ct L'2o - including probable bonus additions, t to coinniem-e at fifty-lire years of would require, if the person he thirty years-.ld at entrance, t wvm \-l wo shillings ijiiarterly : l>ut if jmrehu.-ed at twent'v-iive \cais old, his ijtuirterlv payments would he' onlv sixt.-en shilling's. If the person wanted his aimuit'v to conmienee at thea»eof titty years, the quartcrl'v ]mv!iieiils would - -eouniu linn;' at thirty, and u'i twenty-iive years, old —be thirty. shillings and twenty-six sliilliiins respc.-rively'. Now, thought 1.-*-or iuiproxident people are apt to let so di-tanTa dav lake cure of itself: and so to •',•/„<,/,■,■" their attainm.: (or never attaining) iifly-tive or tifry years of am-. Hill l.t such per-ons rei'eet a little on facts. lie founil. that there w. re m the Uenevolelit Amluiiis in >;. ilui-y and Parramatta. this very week. lOli poor persons abow- fifty in it I under sixtv \ ears of ;\v.v : ail persons a).soiute!\ destii-He. reeei\iiiii merely the bread of chanty. And there were m iho-e inMil u; ions :t?o ])ers(>iis. men and women, above the a>; e of si.vtv. How lii-etit the I), lielit would have been, if thos,- milortunale- eoiiid ha\i- taken advantage of such a

sue irty us this'. AVliiil u yu.xi Hiect it would haw liii«i, in -Miiiulut intr tlu-ir t xertions : ami fur h<-i t.r w il for a. man In li.-lji himself. 1 !i:lm to iv. -vim- h, i () ;,: '.he hands of others, thereby (l-l. Ins -~•!:■. lv-jirrt ai.il iiii[.uirt!ij Ins love nf in Iqu-ndeiice. How few uiv (lii re ;it t\\ ■ nt \ -m w or t lurl v, w!io e, um.it h\ a little pivs.-i I self-denial, and with ;i little 1,. > Sol extravai'a'iec or |~i; _ v . sj, a ;v fro.-i riiflit to tw ; -h,-.-illl!lllU< II Illulltll. //' s,ril,i t,,r lit' ~ixrlr, .* ti,r I, I r /,„ xhih,,,-,* p.,' ,r,;k <„„,„„„<;„,, „/ thr ~,/r of „!..'.,,t I).- !!».:,.,. *t ~f 11,, sr l,<ni,,r,-* : * * "•" * T!)r ui!<-iTt.ii!ity of tin- contiiitriTicc oi' lit,-, h.,w----cv.-r, was not lcs.s .-trikinulv cxi-iii]jliti,-d. liuriiiir tlii> pa-t y.-ar no less than Hewn ease.-, nf ea>u:dty--of um-xpe.-te.l deaths -had ocelinvd. (In.-tu-eiilv-.-io-hr yr-ai-s of iiir-- h:is dii-d. oiilv tu.. iii..ntli-in-mid lor CKKid: ha\ iny -ean-i-i • <v ( -r'l,,-ioic kn.,wi. a <lay"> iiJin-..-. Another, (oil \ ->, v ,-i, years old ai eiiti-aiice, had 1,,-,-,, jn-ur- <1 ? ,nlv eleven months for ;,,,d died 1.y.-i iall fr..i]', a Anotliei j>, r.-.n. au'.-d tliirty-MX at the time of iii.-uniu:, )iail 1.e.-i, in-un-d two y.-ars and ten mouth:, tor ti-'Ai, an.i died from a railway accident. Another, ap-d at 'Ul lame forty-.-.-vi-n. hail 1,,-en iii Mired one y.-ar an.l iiiMiitie, tor CoiUi, ;,ixl dieil irom tin- kick of a li"iM-. < hi.- individual, aμ-ed twenty-nine at entratice, 111,1 ' ii iu.-ured lour year-, and ten months for J J2ilo. He was drowned. Another j,er*on, aμ-ed tw.utvtiiive at eritrtiie,-, who had heen iii Ml red twelve y.-a'r.-t'T t! \:,\t ), i>), died l, v a fall irom a 1" "■•-'■. One, a μ-eil forty-four at entrance, insured seven years and four months for f.jfil) bonus:, was munh-red. \iioth.-r ],ci>on, tliirtv at ciitraiiee, insur.'d nnly >>-\"ii months for l/jlil"), diid iroin illne» ; and In i- Ini-hand. .i-ed thirty-six it i-ntiiin-e. insured M.me \ears for t'JOiiO, died witliin .; loitiii-ht aftciw-ard.-,! Aiioth, r, thirty--wn at eiiti-aiLi-c, who had L.en ii-uivd one y,-ar and ~iiic month-, died the day iificr he j.aid his' last premium.