FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVIII, Issue 16821, 28 May 1919, Page 7

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

STATEMENT BY .V.IM.ViKii. , ' (Per Press Association.) . ...-WELLINGTON, May 27. The Cabinet has dealt with.- ; matterß recently brought before Sir James Aheui and other Ministers of the Crown by a deputation from the friendly societies. Tins 24©n. 'A. Han an, Minister' in charge of friendly societies, made a statement on the subject to-day. In connection with t'he request made by tlie deputation relating to maternity allowance, he was pleased to say that the. recommendation made by tike Hon. A. M. Myers, Minister in charge of'the' National Provident Fund, had oeen approved with the result that the necessary legislation would be prepared to raise tlio allowance to members of friendly societies from £4 to £6, and to increase the wages limitation for this allowance, for all persons in' the fund and in friendly societies, to £250. Mr Hanan said thafc throughout the war lie had given tlie question of society finance anxious consideration. The decision to protect tlie fUriels against war mortality of friendly societies members. which resulted in the establishment by his Department in. ]9l6c:of a special fund for the purpose, had-heeni successfully carried out. -Without this help the loss of afbout £70.000 would 1 have fallen upon the friendly societies' benefit fund, but this deficiency had now heen reduced to a. minimum by means of the co-operative action adopted in this scheme. The Government had further recognised that friendly societies were deserving of considerationor. account of their soldier members, whose contributions, being unpaid>whiJe they were serving with the forces; entailed an. estimated loss of £29.000. A' scheme had therefore been provided to re-establish ths pre-war position of the benefit fund of societies on this account. In connection, with these two subsidies, the Minister said he was glad to he-able to announce that Cah bet had .agrafl that the sum of £4OOO (being the- Government's to the societies in respect of these two accounts) should be devoted towards further reducing any losses the societies will incur im connection with the war mortality fund.

Referring to what he considered the most difficult pro Mem to deal with, namely, "after discharge" sickness of soldiar members of friendly societies, Mr Banan 6aid it was very desirable to initiate a system that would enable this matter to be handled on sound lines. In some quarters- it was expected that this sickness would constitute. a seriious drain on friendly societies**bene. fit funds, wlhich were built_on contributions quite foreign to recent wai? experience. The Government had considered and agreed to a scheme submitted by him, under which friendly societies should separate all sickness of discharged soldiers . from that of their -other members, and establish separate funds for the purpose of assessing and valuing future experience of these members separately. The Government would subsidise any excess sickness disclosed in these funds to the extent of one half. The hoped and believed that the _ friendly societies would co-operate with.- his department in the establishment of these separate sickness funds. In order that this difficult problem might be placed on a good administrative . basis, as early as possible he had arranged for the Registrar, Mr R. E. Hayes, to confer with the societies in connection with the establishment of'- the svstem. -