The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-05-22 00:00:00

lIIIRTY-EIGHT RI:POET:OF TH-1 STEWPONY BECHER

CLUB, 1379.

During the past year twelve male members have
entered the club. Nineteen male members snd one
female member have been erased f r non-payment.
Four deaths have occured. One membcr has been
expelled, and one has sold his Assurance to the
club.

Lie nwrAber of benefit members in the club is
now 294, (being a decrease of fourte..n sinea last
ye r), namely-256 males an! 88 females, which
with 35 h norary members, makes a general total

of 329.
Among the benefit members twenty-four have
received sick pay. The payments for sickness
amounted to £B7 128. Od., and the money received
from the members on this account has been £167
19s. 21d. The balance in hand on the sick fund
amounts to £1,388 14s 2/d.
The balance in hand on account of the burial fund

im £BOl 12s. 9hd.
Fourteen members have received from the
Annuity fund 10s. 01.; the balance in hand
on that fund amounts to £3,467 lie. 101 d.
expenses of the Auxiliary fund have been
£53 18s. 9d., leaving a balance due Lona the clerk

Of £2 12s. 91d. -
The balance in land on the benefit fund account
is L 7,458 16s. 101 d.
The interest last 37, ar amounted to .044 76. Ba.,
and the total balance on the interest acco,tnt from
the commencement of the club is now £l,BOO 18s.
The number of Annunitants is one more than in
1878.
The trustees regret that they have to report a
diminution in the number of the members of the
club which they consider to be accounted for by the
great depression in trade during the past year. As
regards the state of accounts, under the different
heads of a4surances, the trustees may congratulate
the members on the healty state of the finances.

•
STEWPONEY BECHER CLUB.
SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT TO W HIT-TUESDAY 1880.
Number of male benefit members 266, numter of
female benefit members 38, number of honorary
members 36, total 340 ; deceased 5 sold his as-
surance 6, total 324 ; monies invested in the National
debt commissioners, January Ist, 1880, .26,227 ss.
sd; half -years interest due May 20th, .2126 us. 8d ;
tail £7,353 17s. Id. in post office saving bank 2211
15s. 3d; total .27.565 12s. 4d.
Mr. C. P. Noel proposed that the report be
adopted, which was seconded by Mr, W. Rider.
The officers were then appointed for the ensuing
year.
THIRTY-FIFTH REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE

-'IEVVI'ONEY ASSOCIATION FOR THE IMPROVEMERT
OF THE LABOUI(ING CLASSES.
The trustees have to report that last year the land
has been underlet to 554 tenants at a profit of £BO
Se. 10., which, with £4 12s. 6d. donations from
honorary rn, mbers, makes a total of £B5 lls 4d.
The total amount of expenses for the year have
been £73 14s. 5d., showing a profit on the year of
£ll IGs. 11d., which, added to the profit of 1878,
makes a total of £l4 9s. lid., if all arrears were
p,id.
But £27 13s. 91d. arrears owing from vacant
gardens for 1877 and 187 h have been deducted,
shewing a loss on the year of .213 13s. 71d.
The total amount of arrears, though smaller than
last year, is still very large, and unless they are
materially reduced the trustees will be compelled to
give
up the land. They notice that in fibre districts
there are no arrears.
Lord Lyttelton then distributed the prizes for the
best cultivated allotments during t e year 1879.
the prizes consisted of bibles, testaments, forks,
spales, &c. John Chance, of Oldswinford, had won
a p,ize for the thirteenth time, and Edward Row-
bottom, of Bell's Mill, had been successful for the
ninth time.
The party afterwards adjourned to a large
marquee, where they sat down to dinner, which had
been provided by Mr. D. Lane, of Kidderminster.
Lord Lyttelton presided, and after dinner his Lord-
ship gave " The health of the Queen and the rest of
the Royal family."
Captain Neel gave the "Bishop and Clergy of
Lichfield and Worcester," coupling with the toast
the name of the Rev. C. S. Wordsworth."
The latter responded, and expresssd his regret
that the Allotzusnt Society was not in such a
flourishing condition as he should like to have seen
it. In his own parish some allotments that had been
let by a private gentleman had been well takea up.
The Allotment Club gave two great advantages to
the working classes. It gave them an opportunity
for healthful exercise in the open air, atel at the
same time an interest in some work immediately con-
cerning themselves, and which was for their own
advantage. He thought they should have the means
for enjoying something which had for its object
their own interest, and which would raise their
minds above the mere mechanical exercise of the
workshop—(applause).
Mr. Foley proposed " Prosperity to the Stewponey
Becher Club and Allotment Societies." They had
heard over and over again, year after year. the well-
worn tale of the continued prosperity of the Becher
Club. But the Allotment Society was not in such
a properous condition Last year there was a bal-
ance in hand of over .22, but this year there was
absolutely a deficit. That was not as it should be,
and he was sorry to say in addition that some of
those who had benefited by the assistance of their
richer neighbours had left the country like scoun-
drels without paying for their allotments. He then
wsnt on to speak of the want of success attaines
by the Alletment Society, and recommended variou
measures for counteracting this. He said th y re.
eeived 21 per cent. front a generous Government for
their investments in the savings bank, whilst if they
overdrew their account tt.ey had to pay 5 pr cent.
interest, and that showed them they must close
their banking account and se actice economy. He
was also for only giving one prize in districts where
they now gave two. He suggested that they should
ask a reduction of 10 per cent. from:their landlords
for the land of the Allotment Society. They were
very good tenants, having paid their rents regularly
every half-year for the lagt thirty-eight years, and
therefore they had a very good case to put before
their landlords. He considered that the society was
a very great boon to the neighbourhood, and he
should be very sorry to see it broken up. He had
very great pleasure in coupling with the toast
tae name of their president, Lord Lyttelton.
He had always taken a very great interest in the
society, and he hoped he would continue to do s)—
(applause).
The Chairman, in acknowledging the mention of
his name, said that he re-ponded to the toast in
the double chareeter of president of the Becher
Club and also of the Allotment Society. He
endorsed nearly all that had been said by the last
speaker with reference to the remedies be would
propose for the , improvement of the Allotment
Society. It would be with the very greatest re .
luctance that he (Lord Lyttelton) should take any
part in winding up a society which had been of so
much value in that neighbourhood, and if any
sacrifice was required on his part for carrying on
the society that sacrifice should be made. With re-
gard to thej Becher Club, although the report in
the main was a satisfactory one, there were one or
two points in it which were not of an agreeable
character. There was no doubt whatever that,
financially speaking, the society was in a stronger
position than ever it was, but there were one or two
paragraphs in the report which showed that the
benefits had not been so widely diffused throughout
the district as they had been in past years He
then read the paragraph referring to the members
who had joined the society during the year, and
said that it did not show such progress as the
society deserved. He hoped there would be a much
larger increase next year. The payments for sick-
ness, too, had been much lareer than usual. Still
the report of the whole showed very steady progress.
If they were to stave off the blood of pauperism
which wits threatening to ovet whelm thLs country
at some future date they must depend principally
upon such clubs as that to do the work, as they
were more likely to be efficacious in that direcion
than anything else. A great deal might be done by
education, but if they wished really to tackle the
gigantic evil of pauperism they must rely upon such
societies as the Stewponey Becher Club for
effectually doing the work. Those societies pre-
vented many from coming upon the rats, and as
they were better appreciated they would do this to
a still larger extent than now. They also inculcated,
as the preacher of the day had said, habits of self-
denial and self-sacrifice which were most valuable in
themselves. A young man joining one of those
societies had to exercise considerable self-denial,
because he felt that he was not likely to be in need
of their help for some years to come, and therefore
he might find it difficult to give up some trifle
that he might want for the present with the hope
of benefit at some future period. That was one
reason why he disliked schemes for compulsory
providence. A. very excellent clergyman named
Mr. 13rackley, had proposed the establishment of a
national compulsory friendly society by deducting
a small amount weekly from the wages of work-
people all over the country, but be (Lord Lyttelton)
did not think that could be carried out, and if it
could he should not be in favour of it. He hoped
the day was approaching when everyone would see
this for themselves, and everyone whose circum-
stances were precarious would see it was a duty to
make such provision as these clubs afforded. By so
doing they would fulfil the duty of every citizen of
this country.
The Rev. R. P. Turner said he had great pleasure
in proposing the next toast. The health of Mr.
Paul Foley —(Cheers). lie was much pleased to
see some new blood into the society, and he had
much pleasure in presenting him with a silver medal,
on behalf of the society.—(cheers).
Mr. P. Foley in responding thanked them for the
present they had given him, and said he bad not