The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-05-22 00:00:00

THE STEWPONEY BECHER CLUB AND

ALLOTMENT SOCIETY.

The thirty-third annual meeting of the above
society was held at the Foley Arms Hotel, Stew-
poney, on Tuesday last. The members assembled
at the hotel early in the morning, and, having
formed themselves into a procession, h'oa,ded by the
Brierley Hill Rifle Corps Band, marched to Kinver
Church, to assist at Divine Service. The sermon
was preached by the Rev. J. H. Eld, vicar of Bel-
broughton, who took for his text the 29th verse of
the 13th chapter of St. John—" For some of them
thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus
had said unto him, buy those things that we have
need of against the feast; or, that he should give
something to the poor." The rev, gentleman
preathed an excellent sermon, in which he insisted
upon the necessity of making provision for sick-
ness and other casualties that befall old age, and
pointed out the admirable means for doing this
afforded by such societies as the Becher Club.
After the service the procession was re-formed,
and returned to the grounds adjoining the hotel,
where a meeting was held, presided over by the
Rev. R. P. Turner, of Churchill (in the absence of
Lord Lyttelton, the President of the Association).
The following report of the Becher Club was then
read:— •

"During the ra3t bear eight Male and seven Fe-
male Members have entered the Club. Thirteen
Members, (viz :—Eleven Males and two Females)
have been erased for non-payment, and two Male
Members have sold their Insurances to the Club.
There has been one death.
The number of Benefit Members in the Club is now
284, (being a decrease of one since last year,)
namely,-250 Males and 34 Femalas, which with 37
Honorary Members makes a general total of 321.
Among the Benefit Members thirty-one have re-
ceived Sick. Pay. The payments for Sickness am-
ounted to £123 17s. Od., and the money received
from the Members on this account has been £154 16s.
3N. The Balance in hand on the Sick Fund
amounts to _t942 ss. 73/4d.
The Balance in hand on account of the Burial
Fund is £703 15s. 61d.
_ _ _

Eight Members have received from the Annuity
Fund £63 14s. Od. ; the Balance in hand on that
Fund amounts to £3194 14s. 101 d.
The expenses of the Auxiliary Fund have been
£5l Hs. 9d., leaving a Balance due to the Clerk of
£0 Os. 81d.
The Balance in hand on the Benefit Fund Ac-
ccunt is £6222 17s. 50.
The interest last year amounted to £2lO 3s. nd.,
and the total Balance on the Interest Account from
the commencement of the Club is now £1382 is.
sid.

_
The number of Annuitants is one more than in
1873.

It was observed last year, that the increase in the
number of Benefit Members had been decidedly
greater than at any time since 1858. But this was
chiefly in respect of the Male Members and it is
perhaps no matter for surprise, that after so great a
rise, there should have been a slight retrogression;
and the number of the said Male Members is six be-
low last year. But ou the other hand, the increase in
the number of Female Members—and it will be
borne in mind that the careful admission of Female
Members is an important and unusual feature in the
constitution of this Club—is to the amout of five.
We are here dealing with smaller figures and pro-
portions ; but it is satisfactory to state that there is
a larger number (34) of Female MemberOhan in
any year since 1851._

The total number has thus undergone a nominal
reduction, of one ; and is still much above what it
was from 1853 to 1873.

The payments in Sickness last year have been
heavy, owing to the lengthened sickness of six of the
members. The averages therefore of Sickness, both
in amount paid and duration, sre hen vier than in any
previous year. While, however, this is the case, it
is satisfactory to notice that the amount received
from the Members for sickness exceeds the amount
paid to them for Sick Allowances by £3O 19s, 3d.
The number of Annuitants is increased from seven
to eight.

The Balance in hand on the Benefit Account is
now £6222 17s. 51d., the largest amount ever re-
ported.

- The Auxiliary Fund is a little behind-hand this
year, but only to the extent of BA. The Printing
bill is heavy, being £lO 7s. 3d. against £6 14s. Ba.
in 1873. This arose from the necessity of having a
new Ledger, and a fresh supply of District Return
Sheets and Sick Notes. These three items amount
to £3 Os. 61

We have to regret the lots by death of three out
of our Eighteen Vice-Presidents: Dean Peel, Mr.
Walter Heming, and,;, Mr. Benjamin Williams—the
latter also one of the Auditors of the Club, and at all
times an active sharer in its management. One of
our Honorary Members, the Rev. D. Robertson, is
about to leave this neighbourhood, having been
appointed to a living in Lincolnshire.
Sir.ce our last meeting the Fourth and final Report
of the Friendly Societies Commissioners has appeared
and a Government Bill, founded upon it, is now in
progress through the House of Commons. Both
the-e docum.-nts are of a very complicated diameter
and it is so doubtful in what shape the Bill, should it
pass both Houses, will eventually become law, that
the Trustees think it best to postpone observations
upon it till next year.
Li that event it will of course be our duty both to
attend to any requirements which Parliament shall
have laid upon Friendly Societies, and to consider
whether in any respect the labours of the Commis-
sioners suggest any measure in their management,
not obligatory, but as advisable to be adopted.
There is however one passage in the Report which
the Trustees will notice. It occurs at page LIV:
and is the report on the Stewponey Becher Club in
pa i ticular, and the Members will read it with satis-
faction :

"Of the smallest group of Societies which have
been mentioned in this Class, the most favourable
instance we can give is that of the Stewponey
Becher Glib, Worcestershire, thus reported on by
Mr. Stanley.
"The Stewpouey Becher Club has its office in
Stourbridge. It was established in 1842, aud has a
capital of £5,709 Os Od., and 256 Members: 229
Ma es and 27 Females ; 50 of the Members are
Agricultural Labourers, 3 Miners, 7 in Glass Works,
30 in Iron Works, 139 other Trades, and 27Females.
'The Society gives Sick Pay up to 70, 65, or 60
according to the contribution, and then an Annuity
of one-half the Sick Pay. Members can subscribe in
various Classes for as high as 10s. a week Sick Pay.
The balance sheet and report of this Society are full
of information.

"The rules require a quinquennial valuation. In
185 S, £406 13s. 3d. was divided, among the Mem-
bers as the result of such a valuation. In 1863,
£302 3s. 2d. was divided, and in 1868 £591 16s. 11d.
The valuation of the Society is now being made.
The tables under which the Society now works are
Mr. Finlaison's. Mr. Becher's tables have been
discarded as being too low. The valuation of 1867
showed Assets, £8,528; Liabilities, £6,536; Surplus,
£1,992.

'The very large majority of the Members insure
Sick Pay for up to 65 years.
"The Society buys assurances back from Members
wishing to leave. The Subscriptionsof HonoraTy Mem •
bers from the commencement amounts to £1,137 Os.
od. These have been spent in the management, and
have lightened the burden of the levy on the Benefit
Members, who have paid £390 Os. Od. contributicn
to the Management Fund from the beginning. The
Secretary states that the Honorary and Benefit
Members have worked well together in the Committee,
and that the Benefit Members have been of great use
in the working of the Club."
_ _

_
Mr. John Taylor, the secretary, then read the
supplementary report, which was as follows
"Supplementary Report, Whit-Tuesday, 1875.
Number of male benefit members, 254; number
of female ditto, 36; number of honorary members,
37; total, 325. Monies invested with the National
Debt Commissioners, January Ist, 1875, £6,145
Os id; half-yearly interest, due on the 20th just,
£lOB 12s 6d; in the Stourbridge S.tvings' Bank,
£149 15s hi; total £6403 16s 7d.

The Rev. R. P. Turner said the report was very
satisfactory. He would not, however, detain
them by any lengthy remarks, as in the present
variable state of the weather, he thought it best
to conclude that open-air meeting as speedily as
possible, He would content himself with drawing
their attention to the supplementary report, which
showed the number of male benefit members was
three more than at Christmas, and there were
another -C3OO to he added to the funds—(loud
applause).
Mr. C. P. Noel then moved that the reports of
the Stewponey Becher Club be adopted.