M.U.I.0.0.F.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10589, 5 September 1896, Page 3

M.U.1.0.0.F.

' A special meeting of the District Oommittae of the Otago District, M.U.1.0.0.1"., wai held on Thursday at the Oddfellows' Hall, Stuart street, to consider the question of conttib utions and benefits. P.G.M. Bro. Clark occupied the chair, and there were 32 delegates present.

P.P.G.M. Bro. HiBROP moved—" That it will be in the bast interests of the district tbat the existing benefit; scale be adhered to." He said it bad been tried fco cram an increase of contributions down their throats at past meeting*!, and there had been an election of fresh delegates at every meeting called since February. He was satisfied that there was no necessity for raisinx the contributions of thc Otago District. He was going to show the progress of tho district since 1875 In

tlfy as adequate to provide the benefits promised, think that Table -'I* of the set compiled at the request of the Ofcago-Districfc by P.P.G.M. Bro. Leslie on November 27, 1895, should be adopted by tbe Otago District." Ha said he did not think that anyone present would-, question the desirability of carrying the former part of .the motion he had moved. The question,^ raised wasno new one, as so far back as 1876" the matter had been before the district. He"1 quoted from' a report presented by a special-' committee to the district in 1876, in which report the following table of monthly contributions was submitted as adequate to provide the benefits of the order :— s. d. s. d. IS to 20 ... _, 2 li 31 to 35 3.8 21 ii.SS. ... .*. 2 10 36 n 40 4 2 26 i, 30 3 3 41 .. 44 ... ... 4 6 This, scale was rejected on tbe score of inexpediency, and the matter remained in abeyance until 1879, when the same table was again proposed by P.P.G.M. Bro. Leslie. This proposal did not meat tho approval of the majority of the* delegates, and the following scale was adopted, on the advice of P.P.G.M. Bro. Sligo-— . >.' ' 8. d. s. d. IS to 20 2 0 30 to 35 ... ... 3 3 20 ii 25 2 4 35 »10 ... ... 3 9 25 ..30 ... ... 28 10 ii'4s 4 0 He wished particularly to direct the attention of the delegates tq the ratio of the reductions, which, afc the earliest age, amounted to 20 per cent, and ran down as the various ages increased, until at the two highest ages . the decreasa wss about 11 per cent. He had takeu oufc the initiations for the last 20 years, and the figures showed, that fully 78 per cent, of thoso joini'iis; tbe order did so at under 30 years of age. Thesa two facts takeu together would show ho"v serious was the reduction made in thu original scale proposed by P.P.G.M. Bro. Leslie. The ipsaker referred Bhortly to tbe following results of his investigations into tbe Bft'airs of tho order for the last 20 yeara.' Only Z_ per cent, of the initiates joined afc over. 10 years ofsge. The r_te of interest for the district was steadily fallinir, the figure"* bein*;—lß79, £7 10s 4d per ceufc. ;"lßß*,' £6 10s lid per cent,; 1889, £5 14s lOd per csno.; ,1894, £5 13 i4d par cent. On fche other hand tho rate of sickness was steadily on the increase, having gone from 5 days 17 hours in 1879 to 1 week 4 days.s hours iu 1894. Secessions were also a decreasing quantity, being in quinquennial periods from 187G 80 per cent-. 78 per cent., 61 per cent., and 60 per ceiifc. .The spanker concluded by urgii.-;** ou the delegates to support the views of the actuaries, and vigorously combated tha idea that thu "amateurs" in thia science were better able than men like P.P.G.M. Bro. Leslie to say what was or what was nofc an adequate scale.

Bro. Calvbet seconded the mofcisn. He cont*:ndcd that the Otago District had already I committed themselves fco an adequate scale .