The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-09-07 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS.

RAILWAY AND CANAL COMPANIZI. The total
amount of share capital in English railways paid up on
the Slat of December bust was E 187,973, 117-, of which
£141,130,344 was ordinary and 9,48,812,773 preferential
share capital. The rate of dividend for the year was
1982 on ordinary and 415 on preferental shares.
9,9,412,945 was applied to the payment of dividends on
the former capital- and £2,317,851 for the payment of
dividends on preferenoe share capital. The total amount
of rates, taxes, and passenger duty was £742,607, In
Rutland the dividends average 353 and 438 per cent.,
and in Ireland 340 and 317 per cent. The total share
capital of canals in England was £13,058,696, and the
dividends were respectively 3'72 and 318 on original
and preferential shares. The total capital of railways
In the whole of the United Kingdom at the end of 1857
was £225,805,058, and that of canals £13,775,924.
FRLENDLYSOCIETICIL- According to the annual report
just Issued by the Registrar of Friendly Suieties, the
, number of these associations now in exultancy in Eng-
land and Wales is about 20,000, with funds exceeding
10,000,000. The number of members is more than
2,000,000, and if each member could be taken to re-
present an average family of five, we should thus have
10,000,000 of persons directly or Indirectly connected
with ouch undertakings. For relief in sickness alone
they distribute annually 21,000,000. In the accounts
of an estate recently thrown into the Bankruptcy Court,
where the partners carried on business as hankers,
tanners, shoe manufacturers, and brewers, it was stated
that the unsecured creditors included no less than 38
Friendly Societies for • total of £5,196. At a meeting
of a large firm of brewers held short time back it also
turned out that 44 societies had their funds invested
with the firm, and the lame has happened with several
late bankruptcies. According to the Act regulating
Friendly Societies, the trustees are restricted to invest-
ments in the public funda, or savings-banks, or in ad-
vances to members on life policies, accompanied by
tatiafactory personal securities • 700 letters recently lent
out to give warning to that effect are believed to have
wrought • eoniiderable amount of good " by saucing the
withdrawal of the funds from many very insecure and
Illegal investments." One of the inquiries issued by
the Registrar related to the length of tune the respective
societies have been establithed, but only 8,073 answers
were obtained. From these it appears them are 930
societies that have existed between 93 and 100 years,
and 90 whose datee extend over • century. The are.
rage seems to be about 20 years. About 89 years is
stated by the Registrar to be a sufiloient time for •
moiety to arrive at It. NICAYiNIIIOI liability, and it am
mare that 10 par cent, of the saluting societies are in
the condition of having safely passed this point.
Among the societies which have the largest number of
members are several bodiee celled "Order,." Thus,
the Maneheeter unity of Odd Fellows boasts of 279,954 ;
the Ancient Order of Foresters, 135,0301 and the Grand
United Order of Odd Fellows, 37,000. One of the most
suooessful examples is the Royal Standard Benefit
Society. It has existed 30 years, has distributed £97,363
in sickness, superannuation, and other allowances, and
has a capital of £40,623 in Government securities. A
Glass of sooletise variously termed sharing, dividend,
Birmingham, or Tontine Societies, which divide annually
nearly all their receipts, are shown to be constructed on
talleolous principle', and to have no elements of per-
manence, Out of 50 eitablished In London during the
lad 90 years only 12 are now in 'Matinee. Of the ag-
mount 99,000,090 belonging to Friendly Societies,
81,431,5‘3 is in English and Welsh aavinp.banks, and
111,944,991, it the hands of the Coouniesionera for the
!Induction of the National Debt, making the total thus
UMW 13,676,534.
RII/ORMATORT IkINOOLL—A small pocket blue-book,
jut out, contains the first report of the inspector ap-
pointed to visit the difterent reformatory schools of
Great Britain. The number of conned reformatories
Lehe end of 1857 Wee 40, and on the 31st 4 Nairn •
, 1857, the number of inmates was 1,966--vis., 1 196
stool boys, 411 Popish boys, 190 Protestant erls,
and 97 Popish girls. Few counties in Englan are
Without some reformatory school or association, and
even in these then are signs of movement denoting the
awaking of the authorities from their spittle the
qu eubject. These delinent winntles ete not e Mined
by name. The condition of the reformatories le re-
ported by the worthy inspector to be generally good;
the mineral Marmites-inlet of the nutitutione an." shis•
pliaily, plainness' and pruning utility,,' while the
for obvious r ANDS, are not eau
and
wan-
th an Englishman's notions of eau d oom-
rort. The children are not coddled, and their work is
real hard-labour for one-third of the °nil day. In fact,
many boy. confuted to our friend the insp•otor that,
"they would natter be In prison than where they were,"
. assigning as the reason, ' We should hare mare In eat
and lees to doe °eminent is unnecessary. The labour
teat, combined with the 'arid rules of clinipllne, Mill
always prevent the reformatories from being too at-
tractive. The Reformatory Acts have most benefildelly
operated on the internal discipline and maaansment of
the schools certified under them, and much attbe loose.
nese, irregularity, and insubordination that toted obe
met with has already disappeared. Want of solitary
I sells for very refractory boys, and arrangements for the
more thorough supervision of the "pupils" by the
masters of the reformatories are noticed as cienderaro.
Suitable auperintendent*, and • more adequate number
of staff 'Aura are also required. Mental training, in
the majority of the reformatories is comparatively
little attended to, but the inupectZr contends that it
ought not to be wholly negleetad. The religion' in-
struction given in Protestant reformatories is usually
superior to the seoular and general teaching, The in-
dustrial training in most reformatories is both real and
utistaatory, and is held out as an example to workhouses
end common schools. The effect of the law requiring
parents to support their delinquent children in the re-
-Itor .sys that
.Ifh"l7et°°°nprrisotvrilaibilountatrilo inohtwt' eranatobethreeenininacianst44Pwa In every ease.
dead letter in
Scotland. A list of the reformatories, with remark,
appended, shows that the following are, or were, not ex-
actly in • satisfactory etate—viz„ the Berko Reform.
tory School at Shinield, Rending; the Neweutle-on-
Tyne School, in Barrack-square, Newoutle ; (since
improved) Wilts Reformatory, near Warminster. ; and
Woodberry-bill Reformatory, in Worcestershire, but
the defects noticed are not radial ones. There Is •
Romlsh Reformatory in Loughborough, in Leh:cater.
shire called the "Agricultural Colony of Si. Bernard's
In sormaxion with the Trappist Monastery of
St. sernrd, but here the industrial training is dead-
ant, and tbe boys are allowed (reversing the mate of the
order) to eat tooth and to work little. The Bronleh Be. at Brook-green, liesnmersrmitait le well
s risk, On the w taworth
hole, the reto lIPPII4*-
working welL

4ob.