ANNUAL REPORT ON THE FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 791, 29 April 1887, Page 12

ANNUAL REPORT ON THE FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

The Registrar’s tenth annual report on the Friendly Societies (for the year ISS6) was laid on the table of the House on Tuesday. Referring to the judgment of his Honor Mr Justice Richmond in the case Locke v others (trustees of Court Perseverance, A.0.F., Motueka), the valuer remarks upon the loss the lodge sustains as follows : “ Besides the cause of deficiency, common to the district—insufficiency of contributions —your court appears to have suffered heavily by the wholesale misappropriation of funds by a late secretary. Such defalcations ought to be impossible if the officers of the Court performed their duty and the laws were enforced. No doubt it is a painful, matter to refer to, but it would be well if such cases as this were made thoroughly public, in order that other societies might be warned against laxity in guarding what should be considered as a sacred trust—the funds of a friendly society.” Reference is a ! so made to the prosecution of an embezzling secretary of a registered friendly society in Nottingham, in which the judge directed the jury to acquit, on the ground that “ there was no evidence of registration of the rules of the society,” a certified copy of the rules having been tendered as evidence instead of the acknowledgment of registry as required by the Act. The report goes on to state that opposition to the Friendly Society movement appeared last year in a very unexpected quarter, the Rev William Howert, pastor of the Lutheran Church at Saran, having excommunicated one of his congregation on the ground that he belonged to a society of Oddfellows. In antithesis to this it is pointed out that at the 1886 A.M.C. of the M.TJ.LO. O.F, all the five clergy who took part in the Church service attended by the deputies were members of the Order. Another instance of '‘religiouß ’ opposition is reported. To one district in the Celony came not long ago an itinerant preacher who converted one unfortunate member of a friendly society to the belief that it was his duty as a Christian “ to take no thought for the morrow.” The man wa3 induced to withdraw from his lodge, and, having cut himself off from all benefits, soon afterward experienced a long attack of sickness. 44 It is not probable (says the report) that doctrines of this peculiar character will spread far ; but, even though a better and truer gospel is likely to hold its own against such fanaticism, it may be well to publish the existence of this tenet among a certain sect, in order that the benefit of years of thrift may not in other instances be hastily foregone at the suggestion of an enthusiast.” Reference is made to the conferences held by the M.U.1.0.0.F. and A.O.F. during the year. The Registrar has much pleasure in testifying to the care with which secretaries have made out annual returns. On the questions of sickness experience and valuations the Registrar says : “It has been said that, thus far, the sickness experience of New Zealand compares favorably with the English experience ; but for many years yet we must remain in ignorance of the effect which sickness at the lugher ages will have in altering the ratio between them. It is possible that in this respect the dissimilar conditions of colonial life may manifest themselves very adversely. So far as the sickness rates in England and New Zealand are comparable, it appears that the reault of an increase in average age will be to diminish the advantage hitherto enjoyed in this respect by societies in the Colony, and it is, moreover, not improbable that, as the proportion of old members increases, the aickne3B experience among these will swell the total very considerably. This latter is, indeed, merely a conjecture; but, if it be assumed that the average longevity in the Colony will be greater than in England, it is a reasonable inference that the sickness rate at the higher ages will increase in proportion, and that thus the total sickness for all ages will approximate very closely to the Home experience. It would appear that in some societies the majority of the members are utterly indifferent to the fact that their liabilities are considerably in excess of their assets. In “the days of statistical darkness” that societies should drift ignorantly into insolvency was a misfortune, but that societies in full view of their danger should make no effort to avert it is a crime. . If, therefore, two consecutive valuations of a society shall have been made and a deficiency shall have resulted on each occasion, and if the vainer in each of his reports shall have stated that the rates of contribution are inadequate to meet the promised benefits, and the society shall have neglected to take any steps to reduce the deficiency shown, the Registrar considers that it will be his duty to recommend that the Government withdraw the undertaking to defray the expense of any subsequent valuation of such society, due under the Act, until the valuer’s advice ahall have been adopted.

Tables of statistics attached to the report ..give a quantity of interesting information.