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rules of the union provide as to these, no difficulty will arise in obtaining evidence. In other cases I think no particulars can be laid down. —W. S. Reid, 24th December, 1878." A doubt next arose as to whether, in the absence of district funds and district trustees, the district could be registered as a single union ; but the Registrar decided that this would be no bar. A formal application for registry was then made, but had to be refused in consequence of the union not forwarding specific rules applicable to itself as a New Zealand society, but only rules relating to an English society to which it was affiliated. In the case of the Dunedin Operative Tailors' Society, the application was not in terms of the regulations, and no subsequent application has been received. VIII.—THE ANNUAL STATISTICS FOR 1877. These are the first collected under the provisions of the new Act. They relate only to societies which have furnished returns, the number of which is 105, out ofa total of 123 registered societies. These societies fall into two categorics —(1) societies having branches, and (2) societies not having branches. Of the former there were 18 on the register —viz., the following: —Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows—Auckland District, New Plymouth District, Wellington District, Marlborough District, Nelson District, North Westland District, Hokitika District, North Canterbury District, Lyttelton District, Otago District, Invercargill District; Independent Order of Odd Fellows of New Zealand; Ancient Order of Foresters —Auckland District, Wellington District, Nelson District, United Canterbury District, United Otago District; Independent Order of Rechabites—New Zealand Central District. Of societies not having branches there were on the register 105. Of these, 86 were in reality branches of the societies enumerated in the foregoing list, but, owing to the circumstance that under the Act of 1867 a branch could not be registered as such, they appeared on the register as separate societies. The remaining 19 were, with the exception of 4, branches of societies not on the register, the central body of the society being in some cases within, and in some cases outside the colony. As the 105 societies described as " not having branches " possess by far the larger proportion of the aggregate funds, the statistics relating to them are more important than those relating to the other category. Eighty-nine of them furnished returns, and the first four tables in Schedule IX. hereto relate exclusively to them. They comprise 51 lodges of the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, 1 lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of New Zealand, 24 courts of the Ancient Order of Foresters, 1 sanctuary of the Ancient Order of Shepherds, 2 tents of the Independent Order of Rechabites, 1 division of the Sons and Daughters of Temperance, 5 branches of the Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society, and 4 local societies. The compilation of these statistics was intrusted to Mr. Frankland, the Actuary to the Department, and the following comments have been furnished by him : — " From Table I. it will be seen that there were on the Ist January, 1877, in 85 lodges, courts, &c, of the affiliated orders, and 4 small local societies, 8,366 benefit members, and that the number had increased by the 31st December of the same year to 8,560, being an average of 96"2 per club. Amongst the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows the average was 104"4 per lodge; and amongst the Foresters it was 95"3 per court. The corresponding numbers derived from the statistics for 1876 were 77"8 and 868 respectively. The largest of the Odd Fellows' lodges, the Loyal Fountain of Friendship, in Auckland, contained 314 benefit members, whilst the smallest, the Loyal Alexandra, in the AVaikato, contained 4. Among the Foresters, the courts ranged from Court City of Auckland, with 275 benefit members, down to Court Patea, with 16. The total number of admissions during 1877 was 1,204, and the total number of exits 1,010. The total number of inward clearances was 109, as against 181 outward clearances. The number of deaths during the year was 72, from a mean number of members of 8,463. This is equivalent to a death rate of 8"5 per 1,000. Among the Odd Fellows the death rate was 7"6 per 1,000; among the Foresters, 114 ; among the Rechabites, 5"4 ; and in the Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society, 6"5. The total number of secessions during the year, including clearances, was 938. By comparing this with the mean number of members, 8,463, we get a rate of secession of 11"1 per cent. From the statistics of 1876 there resulted a rate of ITS per cent. These rates are very high as compared with those which obtain in the United Kingdom, where the rate of secession is generally below 5 per cent, per annum. It is also higher than the rates which appear generally to obtain in Victoria. This is a circumstance favourable pro tanto to the financial stability of the societies. As a set-off, however, against this, there were 109 inward clearances, which imply a transfer of liability without a corresponding transfer of funds. Deducting these, we get a rate of secession of 9"8 per cent. Taking the four chief orders represented in the table, the rates of secession were as follow: —Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, 10"3 per cent.; Ancient Order of Foresters, 12"6 per cent.; Independent Order of Rechabites, 10"7 per cent.; Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society, 12*7 per cent. The rate of secession in the Independent Order of Rechabites was much heavier according to the statistics of 1876, having amounted to 22"6 per cent. To 8,560 members on 31st December, 1877, there were, approximately,* 4,800 registered wives— i.e., wives in respect of whom the societies would have been liable for a funeral benefit in the event of death. This amounts to 56" 1 per cent. Taking the four orders separately, the percentages are, — Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, about 56 per cent.; Ancient Order of Foresters, about 58 per cent.; Independent Order of Rechabites, 30 per cent.; Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society, 51 per cent. The comparative paucity of registered wives in Rechabite Tents may be accounted for, I believe, by the practice of making the total abstinence pledge a condition of registration. Forty registered wives of members died during the year, this being a mortality of about 8 per 1,000.

* In the case of one or two lodges, the information as to registered wives was not supplied. 2—H. 12.