THE REGISTRAR'S REPORT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13483, 24 July 1907, Page 5

THE REGISTRAR'S REPORT.

! (By our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, July 23. Interesting information with regard to the Friendly Societies of the colony is contained in the annual report of the - Registrar presented to Parliament yesterday. The total number of registrations during the year was 36, made up as follows:— M.U.l.O.O.F. 7, 1.0.0. F. 2, A.O.F. 3, U.A.O.D. 14, 1.0. R. £, H.A.C.B.S. 4, P.A.F.S.A. 2, I.F.S. 2. The five hundred lodges which furnished returns for 1906 are shown to have a membership of 53,759. The total funds amounted to £1,057,281 or an average capital per member of £19 13s 6d. Tables are also given showing that the number of Friendly Society members has during the last twenty years increased at a considerably greater ratio tban the population and it is interesting to note that the amount insured in Life Gompanies, the Friendly Societies* membership, and the Friendly Societies' contributions have all increased at almost ' exactly the same -rate. •The report adds that the greater rate of increase in life insurance premiums as compared with Friendly Societies* contributions is probably due to the em- , ployment of paid canvassers. The tables for this show tjhat although there is now a much larger^ population than in 1897 each member of the population now carries (1) a greater insurance; '(2) pays more in premiums ; (3) pays more in Friendly Societies contributions ; (4) and every hundred of the present larger population contributes more- Friendly Society members than was the case in 1887. "The results as a whole," says ths t report, "disclose a remarkable increase in thrift during the period under review,, of which Friendly Societies' business has had its due share." The amount of sicknass benefit paid was £52,903 in 1906— equal to £5 14s 4d per member sick, oi"r4s 2d,per week. The funeral benefit payi amounted to £9496 or 3s 8d per member.