The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-06-07 00:00:00

J, Halls, Mr. Robins, Mr. Jordan, Mr. C. Evers,
and other friends of the societies were present.
The President called upon Mr. John Taylor, the
Secretary, to read the report of the Becher Club,
which was as follows :

THIRTY-SEVENTH REPORT OF THE STEW-

PONY BECHER CLUB, 1878.

During the past year fifteen Male Members, and
five Female Members have entered the Club. Five
Male Members have been erased for non-payment.
Four deaths have occured. Five have sold their
Assurances to the Club,
The number of Benefit Members in the Club is
now 308, (being an increase of six since last year),
namely-268 Males and 40 Females, which with 36
Honorary Members, makes a general total of 344.
Among the Benefit Members twenty eight have
Lreceived Sick Pay. The payments for Sickness
amounted .265 Cs Od, and the money received from
the Members on this account has been £149 Os 4d.
The balaince in hand on the sick fund amounts to
.2130 S 7s 3id.
balance in hand on account of the Burial
Fund is £797 14s Oid.
Thirteen Members have received from the
Annuity Fund £lOO 18s Od; the balance in hand on
that Fund amounts to £3410 18s 6d.
The expenses of the Auxiliary Fund have been
.284 4s id, leaving a balance due from the clerk of
£6 2s sid.
The balance in hand on the Benefit Fund Account
is £7076 14s 4d.
The interest last year amounted to £251 2s 10d,
and the total balance on the Interest Account from
the commencement of the Club is now £1559 14s
9d.
The number of Annunitants is one more than in
1877.

With the above figures before them, the Mem-
bers may congratulate themselves on the sound
condition of their Club.

The report was adopted, on the motion of the
Rev. R. P. Turner, seconded by Mr. Ryder. The
Rev. T. C. Claughton was elected a vice-president
of the society; the Rev. C. S. Wordsworth and Mr.
J. Amphlett honorary members; and Mr. M.
Grazebrook one of the acting managers, in the
place of the late Mr. W. Grazebrook. The ap-
pointments of stewards and visitors were also
made.

Mr. Taylor then read the report of the Allotment
Society, which was as follows:

34th REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE STEWPONET
ASSOCIATION FOR THE IMPR'WEDIENTS OF THE
LABOURING CLASSES.

The Trustees have to report that last year the
land has been underlet to 582 Tenants, at a profit
of £B9 4s 2d, which with £4 17s 6d donations from
Honorary Members makes a total of £94 is Bd.
The Expenses have been .276 9s 41d, a profit on
the year of £l7 12s, aid, from which must be de-
ducted £ls.s Old, the deficiency in 1877, and thus
shewing a gain on the year of £2 3s 2i-d, provided
the whole amount of Arrears is recovered.

. •
The Bott Lane Allotments were given up at
Michaelmas last; and as the work of the Spciety is
thereby lessened, the Agent proposes that his
Salary be £25 per annum from that date.
The trustees still have to refer to the very large
sum due from the Tenants of the Society, and
desire to express the hope that the Rents for the
future will be more punctually and regularly paid;
otherwise the Society must be abandoned.
Prizes were then distributed by the noble Chair-
man which consisted of Spades, Forks, Bibles and
Testaments.

The annual dinner followed, and was held in a
marquee on the ground. Lord Lyttelton presided.
In giving the toast of "The Queen and the Royal
Family," he remarked that he did not suppose there
were any people more interested in the stability of
their institutions and the future security of pro-
perty than the members of benefit societies. The
Queen was the chief and most dignified representa-
tive of their institutions, and he asked them to
drink her health with special cordiality.
Mr. H. W. Foley gave "The Bishops and Clergy
of the Dioceses of Lichfield and Worcester."

The Rev. T. L. Claughton, whose name as
preacher of the day had been coupled with the
toast, said he trusted that in view of largely in-
creasing populations there was on the psrtufthe
clergy an increased sense of their responsibility
with regard to their spiritual duties, and he hoped
they were rising to these responsibilities. But he
was quite sure they must never neglect the practi-
cal part of their people's lives, and. one thing was
to get them to look forward to their future in this
life, and gradually lead them to look on to the life
which was to come. Mr. Clitughton mentioned his
intention to endeavour to establish a branch of the
Becher Club in his own neighbourhood, and he
went on to propose "The health of Lord Lyttelton,
the president of the club."
His Lordship, in responding, commented on the
satisfactory state of the Club, and called atten-
tion to the backwardness of the tenants of the
Allotment Society in paying their rents. He knew
times had been bad, but the fact that men had less
work should have caused them to give more atten-
tion to their allotments. Those who were present
had paid up their rents, and he hoped that it would
reach the others who had not, that they must do so,
Or, as stated in the report, the Allotment Society
would have to be abandoned. Lord Lyttelton
after wards made some reference to the Poor Law
Amendment Bill, which he said affected the interests
of the members of the clubs to a certain extent,
though with regard to the Becher Club he did not
think it would make much difference one way or
the other. It provided that Guardians of the poor
should not be able to avail themselves of money
owing to paupers by benefit societies, but it would
enable the clerk to benefit societies to pay such
money to the wives of members, or, failing the wife,
to other relatives. That was not a bad thing for
members of benefit societies likely to become
paupers, and perhaps beneficial in this way, that
people felt themselves safe to have their money
taken away in case of unavoidable illness. But he
must take that opportunity of saying that he did
not think this bill would act beneficially, if passed
The principle of the poor law was that no one
should come on the rate till the whole of his means
were exhausted. Most of those present were rate-
payers, and it struck him as hard because a man
had money in the hands of his benefit society, that
that, money, should not be applied towards his
support in the workhouse, but that ratepayers,
perhaps poorer than himself, should be called upon
to contribute towards hit relief. It seemed to him
a wrong principle, and was something like the
State aid of benefit societies. It was possible the
bill he referred tolnight benefit such societies, but
speaking from a public point of view, he could not
consider it was a good bill. There was no good
reason why members of benefit societies should
have their meaty protected, while members of
building and other societies were not equally pro.
tected in that way. He maintained that it would
not carry out the great object of these societies to
encourage thrift throughout the country. If they
made it morc easy to-go on the parish for relief,
the more they would find doing so. It was proved
to be the case in Northamptonshire and other parts
of the country. Members of benefit societies had
subscribed less than they could have done, because
they counted on getting more from the rates than
they paid into their society. The bill would pass,
however. Nearly all the benefit societies, he be-
lieved, had petitioned for it, but he did not think
the Becher Club had. There was a great deal of
talk now about a national provident society or
assurance society- Something of the kind might
possibly be carried out, but in all the schemes he
had seen promulgated the principle of compulsion
was brought in, which was unworkable. If such a
scheme was carried it would affect materially all
benefit societies, and they would all be swallowed
up by this one society. The principle of compulsion
' could not be made to work. They could not make
people provident by Act of Parliament, and if they
could there 4vould no longer be that self-sacrifice
and the exercise of those. virtues which were called
forth by the benefit societies all over the country.
His lordship concluded by proposing "Success to
the Becher Club, coupled with the name of the
Rev. R. Turner, who after responding, proposed the
health of the secretary, Mr. J. Taylor, who in
responding said, that since the year 1850 he had
attended every year. He congratulated the club on
being so successful, and referred to the allotment
society not paying up their rents. He was afrlid
he was a little to soft hearted in not pressing for
the rents. HoweveFilib hoped the amounts owing
would be greatly diminished by next year, or else
the society would have to be abandoned. This
concluded the proceedings.
HAGLE Y.

STOCK SALE.—The weekly sale was held on Tues-
day. The entries were not so large as in the
previous week. There was a large attendance.
High,r prices for mutton were made, it is said to be
sold at 10d per lb. Beef made fair market rates.
Tegs out of the wool reali7ed as high as 70s a head.
L3rubs as high as 545. Fat Beasts £27 28 6d.