The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-05-30 00:00:00

THE STEWPONEY BECHER CLUB AND

ALLOTMENT SOCIETY.

The thirty-second annual meeting of these joint
societies was held in the grounds adjoining the
Stewponey and Foley Arms Hotel, Stewponey, on
Tuesday last. The members attended Divine ser-
vice at Kinver Church in the morning, where an
eloquent and appropriate sermon, was preached to
them by the Rev. Dr. Cosmic, vicar of Dudley.
They returned front Church in processional order,
headediby the Brierley Mill Rifle Corps Brass Band,
and assembled on the green near the hotel, where
the annual business of the societies was then tran-
sacted. Lord Lyttelton presided, and called upon
Mr. John Taylor (secretary), to read the report of
the Becher Club, which was as follows:

THIRTY-SECOND REPORT OF THE STE WPONEY

BEC HER CLUB 1873.
During the past year twenty-five Male and five Female
Members have entered the Club. Five Members, (viz.—
Four Males and one Female) have been erased for non-
payment, and two Male and one female Members have
sold their Insurances to the Club. There have been no
deaths.

The number of bonefit Members in the Club is now
21,65, kbeing an increase of twenty-two since last year,)
namely,-256 Males and 29 Females, which with 37 Bono-
ley Member, makes a general total of 322.
Among the Benefit Members twenty-five have received
Sick Pay. The payments for Sickness amounted to
2s. OE, and the money received from the Members on
this account has been £ll7 13s. Old. The balance in hand
on the sick fund amounts to £9ll 6s. 3jd.
. .

The balance in hand on account of the Burial Fund
is £670 ISt.

Seven blembrrs have received from the Annuity Fund
£6l 01. 01.; the balance in hand on that fund amount
to £3117 45.111 d.

The expenses of the Auxiliary Fund have been £7B 18s.
2b., leaving a balance in hand of £5 18s. 11d.
The balance in hand on the Benefit Fund Account is
.26874 19s. 90.
The interast last year amounted to £2lO 13. 41., and
the total balance on the Interest Account from the CotO•
mencemeut of the Club is now .81175 9s 9d.
The number of Annuitants is the same as an 1872.

The Report is very satisfactory; and it will be noticed
that the increase of Benefit Meubers is, with the single
exception of the year 1867.1868, greater, for the moat
part much greater, that it has ever been amen the year
1858, when the Club first began to recover from the con-
tinuous decline which it experienced iu the period from
1847 to 1857.

(Signed,)
LYTTELTON,
it. I'. TURNER, Trustees.
WILLIAM H. BING,
March 22nd, 1874.

A supplementary report showed the present
number of male benefit members to be 259; num.
ber of female ditto, 31; honorary members, 37;
total, 327. The invested moneys amounted to
£5,999 3s 71.

The report was adopted, on the motion of the
Rev. R. P. Turner, seconded by Mr. C. P. Noel.
The stewards and other officers of the society
were appointed;
elected a vice-president of the society in the place
of the late Mr. W. C. Hemming.
Lord Lyttelton said be should be obliged to leave
them before long, as he had made previous engage-
ments which he should have to fulfil. Now he
came to think of it, he did not stop to luncheon
last year. If he was spared till nertyear he would
try to make arrangements so that he could stay
with them all day. Before he went on the present
occasion, there was one cire,;t!lnee of interest
connected with the Becher Club, about which he
wished to speak to them, and that was the enquiry
by Parliament—or, rather, he should say, by Royal
Commission--into the whole subject of Friendly
Societies. He thought the Commission would not
have been able to report by this time. They had
heard a great deal of late with reference to the
'4uct of Friendly Societies. The report of the