£[.—l2

10

Rather more than one-eighth of the members were in receipt of sick-pay at one time or other during the year, and the aggregate number of days' sickness experienced by them, 49,090 (including Sundays), was equivalent to about 45"3 days (or 6 weeks 3"3 days) per member sick, or 58 days per member. For the four chief orders the sickness was as follows: — . ■ Days per Days per Average Age. Momb e r / 1876 . Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows ... ... 333 6"8 5"5 Ancient Order of Foresters ... ... ... 31"S 4"0 3"1 Independent Order of Rechabites ... ... 881 49 8"8 Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society... 33"2 4"3 3"8 The conclusions which can be drawn from this, taking into account the average age of members, are —(1) that the rate of sickness paid for* in New Zealand friendly societies is, on tho whole, low for the earlier ages, as compared with that to be expected according to Ratclift'e's tables, and (2) that it is considerably higher among the Odd Fellows than among the Foresters and the members of the Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society. This probably arises in the main from the circumstance that there are included in the present statistics a number of Odd Fellows' lodges much older than any branches of the other orders, and that therefore, although the average ages in the four orders do not seem to differ much, there is a larger proportion of members at really advanced ages among the Odd Fellows. These questions will, however, be set at rest when the data furnished by the quinquennial returns come to be tabulated. Turning to Table 11., we see that the aggregate funds of these eighty-nine bodies, accumulated to meet the sickness and funeral, and certain other minor liabilities, amounted on Ist January, 1877, to £79,219 12s. sfd., and that they had increased by the end of the year to £89,337 Is. 6f d.—an increase of £10,117 9s. Id., or 12"77 per cent. This total of £89,337 Is. 6Jd- was distributed as follows :— Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, £64,634 16s. llfd.; Ancient Order of Foresters (including Shepherds), £18,393 9s. lid.; New Plymouth Friendly Society, £2,840 4s. B_d. ; Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society, £1,351105. 10_.-d.; Antidote Division, Sons and Daughters of Temperance, £721 12s. 7d. ; Leith Lodge of Independent Order of Odd Fellows of New Zealand, £662 3s. 9d.; Independent Order of Rechabites, £441 Is. 4d.; Central Volunteer Fire Brigade, £135 6s. 6d.; Kaeo and Whangaroa Friendly Society, £121 16s. 9d.; Primitive Methodist Mutual Aid Society, £34 18s. 2d. Taking the four chief orders, this gives the following averages:—Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, £1,267 7s. per lodge, or £12 2s. 9d. per member; Ancient Order of Foresters, £766 7s. lid. per court, or £8 os. lOd. per member; Independent Order of Rechabites, £220 ss. Bd. per tent, or £2 6s. sd. per member ; Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society, £270 6s. 2d. per branch, or £4 7s. 2d. per member. These averages are in three cases somewhat higher than the corresponding ones which appear in Table 1., because in the latter only tbe sick and funeral fund itself is considered, whereas here certain minor benefit funds are added on. The total income of the benefit funds of the societies during 1877 was £21,609 ss. o|d., of which £19,865 18s. ljd. was revenue properly so called, while the remaining £1,743 6s. 11-J-d. represented transactions in which lodges, &c, had acted as agents either for the districts to which they are affiliated, or for other lodges, &c. The sources from which revenue was derived are to bo classified as follows:— £ s. d. £ s. d. Contributions ... ... ... ... 11,652 8 8£ Entrance fees ... ... ... ... 1,254 18 9 Total premium income ... — 12,907 7 5£ Interest on investments ... ... ... ... 3,863 0 4 Other sources ... ... ... ... ... 3,095 10 4 Total ... ... ... ... £19,865 18 1| The other sources include principally an amount of £2,028 19s. 7d., representing the improvement in the value of property belonging to Court Sir George Grey, Ancient Order of Foresters, Wellington. The item " interest ou investments " requires somewhat closer examination. It amounts to 4'BB per cent, on the aggregate funds at the commencement of the year, or 4"32 per cent, on the aggregate funds at the end. Computing the percentage according to the formula used by actuaries in such cases, it will be found that the entire funds were invested at an average rate of interest of 4"69 per cent. Comparing this with the amounts for 1876, we have— 1876. 1877. Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows ... ... ... 5"30 4"78 Ancient Order of Foresters ... ... ... ... 490 396 Independent Order of Rechabites... ... ... ... LSI Nil Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society ... ... 202 2"10 All societies ... ... ... ... 5L7 4"69 It would not be safe, however, to infer from this that the rate had fallen off among the Odd Fellows and Foresters, as the two columns do not refer to exactly the same individual lodges and courts, the lodges and courts furnishing returns not having been exactly the same in the two years. All we can infer is, that among the Odd Fellows the funds are invested at an average rate of about 5 per cent. ; among the Foresters, at from 4to 5 per cent. There seems, too, to be presumptive evidence for a general falliug-ofl' in the rate realized. Among tho Rechabites the practice too frequently obtains of crediting all interest to the management fund. The misappropriation which

Other sources

*The difference in the two rates may be due to an economic rather than a hygienic advantage on the part of New Zealand. There is evidence that many members forbear to claim ou the funds when entitled according to the rules to do so, vt am collecting further data ou the subject.