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1933. NEW ZEALAND.

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES AND TRADE-UNIONS. FIFTY-SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT BY THE REGISTRAR OF FRIENDLY SOCIETIES, FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER, 1932.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to the Friendly Societies Act, 1909, Section 9, and the Trade-unions Act, 1908, Section 16.

The Registrar of Friendly Societies to the Hon. the Minister. Sir, — Wellington, Ist July, 1933. I have the honour to submit the annual report of this Office for the year ended 31st December, 1932, in accordance with the provisions of the Friendly Societies Act, 1909, section 9, and the Tradeunions Act, 1908, section 16. I have, &c., R. Witheford, Registrar of Friendly Societies.

REPORT.

Genebal. Membership of friendly societies decreased during the year from 105,660 to 102,052, equal to 3-41 per cent. The total accumulated funds of the societies increased from £4,277,715 to £4,398,158, the average capital per member being now £43 Is. lid., as compared with £40 9s. 9d. at the end of 1931. Net interest credited to the Sick and Funeral Funds during the year totalled £164,841, equal to a rate of £4 lis. lOd. per cent., as compared with £5 3s. Id. per cent, during the previous year. The average contributions and interest per member credited to the Sick and Funeral Funds decreased from £3 Bs. 7d. to £3 6s. 7d., while the cost of sickness and funeral benefits increased from £1 16s. 2d. to £1 16s. 4d. The total net gain in these particular funds for the year amounted to 18s. 7d. per member. The number of members who died was 834, equal to 8-00 per thousand members at risk, as compared with 874 and 8-18 respectively during 1931. Legislation. The provisions of subsection (4) of section 50 of the Friendly Societies Act, 1909, are modified by recent legislation as under : — Section 55 of Finance Act, 1931 (No. 4). —" If the Governor-General is of opinion that compliance with the provisions of subsection four of section fifty of the Friendly Societies Act, 1909, by a registered society or branch in respect of the whole or any part of the period of two years ending on the thirty-first day of December, nineteen hundred and thirty-one, is impossible, or would impose undue hardship on the society or branch, he may by Order in Council grant to the society or branch a complete or partial exemption from the obligations of that subsection in respect of the whole or any part of such period."

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