The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-03-26 00:00:00

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

challenge of the sentry by firing a revolver.
A trial at the Glamorganshire assizes affords An officer with a company coming up, firing
matter for serious reflection by working men, commenced on both sides. The officer was se-
So far as the points in dispute between two rival rionsly wounded, one sergeant was killed, and
offices are concerned we have nothing to say, four soldiers wounded. Two of the rioters were
and with regard to the facts to which we would killed, and the rest dispersed.
direct especial attention, we confine ourselves The city was in a state of surprise and con-
strictly to the statements that were made in steruation, bat was perfectly tranquil.
court. A gentleman who was one of the corn- A telegram from the Mayor announces that
mlitee of the Royal Liver Friendly Society Wa4 the inhabitants support the Government in the
examined, sod it transpired that he bad in this maintenance of order.
capacity a salary of £5•20 a year, and that,
moreover, he was one of eight committeemen. TOURS.
This would be upwards of £4,000 a year for a TRIAL OF PRINCE PIERRE BONAPARTE.
committee of management. But it further I Mallen 24th, 4.5 p.m.
transpired that, in addition to this, the commit-
teeman received fais per week for poundage on ' Maitre Flocquet demonstrated the groundless-
collections, thus making about £6OO a year, or ness of the idea that a conspiracy existed against
£4,800 a year for the entire committee. And the Prince. The duel with 31. Pascal Grousset
something even further than this was elicited. was arranged in order to prevent a duel with
The judge asked this gentleman for how kW.; M. Henri Rochefort. He maintained that Be
he had been travelling about e.t the expense Of Fonveille and Victor Noir had simply fiallowed
the society, to which it was replied that he might the code of the duello, and he mentioned the
have Leon travelling about for a month, hat that Princes antecedents to show the extreme viri-
le: spoke from memory, and he added, All the leuce of his character. He was proceeding to
travelling bills are placed before the committee, examine his conduct in Africa, when the Presi-
and the committee pass them." It will be ob. dent adjourned the hearing of the case.
served that these bills are said to be passed—not The President then ordered Be Fonveille to
exiimined and passed; and, probably, there was be brought up for trial on a charge of contempt
little occasion to examine them, as it was virtu- of Court, sad of criminal provocation. After a
ally the committer passing their own bills. To deliberation of twenty minutes, Be Fonveille was
a question by the judge whether the expenses condemned to ten days' imprisonment, and to
of the society did not amount to 70 per cent., a I pay the costs.
rather vague answer was given—that they did
not reach more than 40 per cent., " unless you
include the burial money." And to a series of
questions as to the liabilities of the company— I
whether they were ten, fifteen, or twenty mil.
lions—no definite answer could be given ; and, .
indeed, it was too muck to expect it. In one i
remark by the learned judge, however, most '
persons will agree—that the inquiry shows the
necessity of finding a safe investment for the
working population of this country.
Without entering into the pro and con relative
to this particular society, we submit that this
case quite substantiates the remark of the
judge, looking at benefit societies generally. Of
course, they are not. all alike. Some are well I
managed, some indifierently, and some very
badly. But, on the whole, they do not do the
levee amount of good that is in their power.
The public generally, who may be unconnected
with these societies, little know how large is
their number, and what vast sums of money are
raised and disbursed by them; and it would be
quite as well if the public knew more about them.
When Mr. Cave, some time ago, introduced his
bill for reforming life assurance companies, one
of his propositions was that they should be com-
pelled to publish annual accounts of revenue
and income, and that every five years should be
published capital accounts, with assets and lia-
bilities. Now this very thing would lie a great
reform in conneetlon with benefit societies, sick
funds, burial societies, &c. It may be said that
this would be exposing private affairs to the
public gaze; but the public would really take
little or no interest in the returns relative to
these societies, while the members of any parti-
cular society would take a deep interest in their
own affairs, and would he able to ascertain their
position. The returns should be made under
conditions guaranteeing their accuracy, and the
accounts should be audited by independent ac-
couutants. All this would be for the welfare of
the working classes, to which these societies are
confined; for a thorough knowledge of the affairs
of a society would promote the success of good
benefit societies, and open the eyes of subscri-
bers to the bad ones. If such accounts were
fully rendered annually, we suspect that many
who now go on year eft( r year paying in without
inquiry, would soon be made alive to existing de-
fects, mud would be in 'a better position to reale- The West African mails steamer Apia, has
dy them. The great fault of these societies, • arrived here with 14 passengers, a foil cargo,
welch are good enough in themselves, is that and 100 ounces of gold dust. Trade Wai duii,
they are expensively and, therefore, badly
man,
and the health good on the rivers and along the
aged, and that the great body of the subscribers coast. State of Bonny was uualtered. Oil
have no control over the affairs. There is little
prospects at Benin Bras, Old Calabar, and Cam-
practical difference between a limited liability
croons was good.
company and a benefit society, and there ere Owing to disturbances at Lagos, cotton from
faults and failings conmion to both. In reeard the interior could not reach the c,sast. The
to the former, a half-yearly report is drawn up
which is vague and one-sided; the accounts a ‘ raids of the Ashanteee continued at Cape Coast
Castle. The Siberian Reiniblic was engaged in
not sufficiently in detifil ; the meetiuis is cillerd'.
and very few shareholders attend'; aiid cut and a Pett'Y warfare.
dried resolutions; ere usannuonaly juts. 0, jest
becanee shareleilders will not suffieiently lied;
into their own affalis. And siefe,•;.;
same thing is true of benefit so,ietie4. emu

MARCH 24th.

MALTA, March 24th.

The with a heavy portion of the Bom-
bay mail, leaves at four thia afternool, for
Soathamptou, wheie die oni:, be exi,eet,..l about

inittees auff sect etaries manage or mismanage, I
and subscribers really I;ne.v little of the &tails
of their own affairs. Both with regard to com-
panies and societies, we do not, of course speak
of all, but of some; but it is not too much to
83y that all require to be looked into, and too
much should not be left to directors or commit-
tees, secretaries, trustees, or any officials what-
soever. Working men, like middle-class inves-
tors, should look after their own affairs; and if
they are not allowed to become acquainted with
the exact position of the society to which they
pay in expectation of funds to relieve sickness ,
or meet the expenses which death involves, they
may well conclude that there is something wrong.
Many benefit societies do a vast amount of good,
but too many are found to fail at the critical
time. The working classes should not depend
solely upon Parliament for reform in this matter
the good management of their own societies de-
pends, in a great measure, upon themselves, and
they should see to it that they are cheaply,
fairly, and safely worked.

the .2.1 d koximo.
tom Southampton, 12th instant,
arrived at Cam on the 91st, mul left for Alexan-
dria at 4 p.m• the same day.
The Delta, from Southampton, 19th just, ar-
rived at Dam., and leaves at 1 p.m. to-day, for
Alexandria.

PORTSMOUTH, March 25th.

The S'ei.apis arrived here this morning from
Alexandria and Malta, with troops.