PRIVATE BENEFIT.SOCIETIES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10419, 23 July 1895, Page 4

PRIVATE BENEFIT.SOCIETIES.

TO THE EDITOE.

Sia,—l am not aware that my letter of 4th inst. contained tuy reflection on the rules or constitution of the society of which "Employee " is a member. There was, therefore, no necessity for him to diUte at such length on the fact that there are private benefit, societies in existence which give satisfaction to alt concerned I apprehend this ia a feature which should characterise all societies, and is no recommendation in any case. I claim to have a little knowledge of all classes of bsnefit societies, and am well aware some are properly conducted, and against which nothing can be said. Were they all conducted m a similar manner my former letter would not have appeared. Neither is there any necessity for me to make Employees" acquaintance, or gee the rules be eulogises go much.

Employee's" l o§ i c j g VGry ghak d i ara? u. nt. s Jo. this: Ha is a member of a society [which lg fairly condacted-m^, they must all be alike. In assuming so, however, " Employee" Las Plundered most egregionsly, and requires a wider experience before being competent to pass an opinion. ■ With all due deference, employee" writes himself down as a very stupid individual by admitting the "right" of employers to impose - any sucb _ con s; tiocs wnien 13 Ejmply»admtt:ing that himself and workmen geaerally do not possess sufficient brams to make provision for themselves without having rt. < forced upon them by employers. Whiles admitting that some men are improvident I do maintain tb&t, tairing them class tor class, the workers, with their very limited means, are-just, as provident as any other section of the cqmmunitv. I Jor one will noyer admit the right or expadieacyof allowing" employera to dictate in whaVmanner I shall make provision for myself, ss there are numerous organisation* in existence which I canavcil myself, of without their intervention- Let ms turn the case upside down and show the riqioulousnessof any claim the employers may pretend to have in the matter. We will suppose that the empldyeei in any business or company concluded that their employers were.liviog beyond thmr maana and insisted on them paying cohtributioug into some benefit scheme devifed by the etnployeea. The result of such a proposition would bs disastrous to the ernp;oyees, and would.b*e viewed as an act of insanity. Yet this is precisely'what the employer does ia cases I have.mentfoaed, and " Employee " thinks it right and applauds. We are certain)v tending in the direction of. some^cpmpulsory State measure of insurance or old-age pensions, which, if established, I shall certainly hail with delight. These reforms are absolutely necessary, and I apprehend they will be carried out Jn a beneficent manner by the .iftrfe: There is certainly no analogy between any scheme devised for the good of the commuuity through their representatives in Parliament aud those brought into existence by unscrupulous employers for unworthy motives. The one is tor the general uplifting of the people,-and assures them against want in their old age, while the ottier degrades and makes serfs and slaves of what should be free men With.a voice in every matter which affects themselves..- v -. :

It is immaterial to me what "Employee" thinks or, denie? or characterises as "wild statements " in reference to the contents of my previous .letter. The fact remains that, they are pesfeetly true, in /every particular, and I again repwae that there is a society ia existence in Dunedin—right under "Employee's " dobs in fact—whose rules were framed by the employers, and what is more, cannot be altered without the cohiseni; of the company who forced them holus-bolus down the throat* of tbeir unwilling employees. The society *o which I refer is the Union S.S. C6mj>a.«j''s Mutual Benefit Society. Every person desirous of joining is compelled to pass, a doctor before gaining admission, and those, who are 46 years of age are ,taxed fo the tune of i-evan (7). shillings par month, which is considerably over the sixpeaea referred to by " Employee." . '-.

Concerns like this are generally brought into existence after a severe struggle between capital and labour, aud are f oread upon the men, who have no other alternative but to; submit. This was the cass with.the Broken Hill miners, the Melbourne trim employees, the seamen in England, and, coming nearer home, the Union S.S. Company of New Zealand. There is also tiie "Free Labourers' Association" (ironical name) of Nspier, and.the Stevedores' Association in Lyttslton. Alltbeso and many more of 3 similar nature have been . brought into existence, by men who, in'■: theiranxiety to become wealthy, have in many case* neglauted to show: that .consideration which should characterise their actions when dealing with th«r. fellow men. Past history and our Statute. Book are grim ramiucers that many employers have ground . the souls out of those who worked for them, and they are yet keenly alive to any means whereby they can obtain a firmer grip on the throat of the workers. This has been evidenced quite recently ia New Zealand by the upbolyrusQ which was lately m»de by employers to inpre themselves sgsinst the provisions of the Employers' Liability Act—the emolpyees, as usual, paying .the piper. Between compulsory, private benefit societies and insurauce achemts ■ the workers will soon be done to death, and the sooner the State turns its. attention to this particular subject and • introduces a comprehensive scheme' for dealing with the same the better, it will be for tha workers. If .«. Employee," instead of cracking up that which he states to be gcod, were to use his efforts in eudetvouring to abolish that which is bad, there migat be some chance of the fcir societies being allowed to remain in existence. If this.is not done the inevitable result will ba the sweeping out of existence by tha Legislature of all unregistered societies, and if I understand the spirit of the workers aright they will hail such a consummation with a great deal of pleasure.—l am fe Dunedin, July 13. ■William Belchee.'