The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-06-07 00:00:00

THIRTY-FIRST REPORT OF THE STEW-
PONEY BECHER CLUB, 1972.

" During the past year 16 Male Members have
entered the Club. Seven Male Members have
been erased for non-payment. One Male and one
Female Member have died.
The number of Benefit Members in the Club is
now 263, (being an increase of seven since last
year) namely,-237 Males, and 26 Females, which
with 41 Honorary Members,makes a general total
of 304.

Among the Benefit Members 22 have received
Sick Pay. The payments for Sickness amounted
to £67 9s,and the money received from the Mem-
bers on this account has been £l5O 28 Old. The
balance in hand on the SickFundamounts to £B2B
15s 31d.
The balance in hand on account of the Burial
Fund is .2631 19s 7d.
Seven Members have received from the Annuity
Fund £6O ss, the balance in hand on that Fund
now amounts to £3942 2s sd.
The expenses of the Auxiliary Fund have been
£52 4s Bd, leaving a balance in hand of ..t3 iSs
lid. . . . .

The balance in hand on the Benefit Account is
£6,100 9s 71d, being an increase of .2390 lOs 7ld
since last year, and is again the largest balance
everreported as belonging to the Club.
The Interest last year amounted to .£206 ls,and
the total balance onthe Interest Account from the
commencement of the Club is now ..£1597,12s
The number of Annuitants is the same as in
1871 one Female Member named Gauden having
died at the age of 74,and one having been added.
The increase in numbers continues,and is only
slightly below that in 1871, when it was observed
that no deaths occurred in that year, while there
were two in last year.
The great fall in the numbers of the club appears
to have been between the years 1849 and 18.57,and
especially from 1553 to 1835. Since 1857 the in-
crease has been steady,though not entirely uniform.
It is wholly in respect of Males, and it is to be re-
gretted that the number of Female Members has
never been large enough tohave much bearing on
the totals.
The remaining details do not appear to need
special notice, and the Trustees have only further
to direct attention to the subjoined Report of Mr.
Bailey, which has been received since the date to
which the accounts are now made up,as it was last
year intimated would be the ease."
To the Committee of Management of the
Stewponey Becher Club.
Gentlemen,—! have acoording to your request
made a careful examination into the Financial
condition of the Club. I have subjected the cal-
culations in Mr. Taylor's Valuation to several
tests, and have satisfied myself of their sub-
stantial accuracy, it is to be hoped that, the
Friendly Societies' Commission will, among other
results of its labours, succeed in obtaining • more
information upon the amount of sickness prevail-
ing among different class,s of the people, which
is much wanted. But in the present state of our
knowledge on the subject. I think that the tables
which Mr. Taylor has used in his Valuation, are
the best for the purpose.
The result shows an excess of Assests over Lia-
bilities of £1920, proving the Society to be in a
thoroughly sound condition, which cannot fail to
be satisfactory to the Members. According to the
37th Rule a portion of this surplus may now be
divided. Such portion is in no ease to exceed one-
half and for the reasons given in my Report
of 1868, which need not be repeated. I strongly
recommend that the amount of surplus to be
divided among the Members should now, as then,
be restricted to £6OO.
I am, Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
• A. 11. BAILEY,
Actuary."

"The Report has been laid before the Com-
mittee, and the Secretary was directed to divide
the sum named therein (.£600) amongst those
Members who have contributed to the Benefit
Fund during the past five years, but have not
received any sick pay during that period. One
hundred and eight-nine Members are thusentitled
to participate in the clivison, and the amount to be
paid to each will be 20 per cent, of the total
amount paid by them.
The Bonuses have been as follows, viz :-1857
50 per Cent ; 1662 25 per Cent; 1867 25 per Cent;
182 20 per Cent.
The Trustees can but express their satisfaction
at the purport of this Report, and their hope and
belief that the forthcoming Report of the Royal
Commission, to which it alludes, will be found in I
all materials respects confirmatory of the principles
on which the Stewponey Becher Club has always
been conducted."
Mr. Taylor also read a supplementary report, up
to the date of the meeting, which showed the pre-
sent number of members to be 315, and the total
funds of the club to be £6,256 6s Pd.
The Rev, R. P. Turner moved the adoption of
the report, and that the trustees be authorised to
pay the bonuses referred to.
Mr. Osborne seconded the motion, in putting
which the Chairman expressed his regret that the
number of members did not increase as they might
wish.
Mr. Osborne moved that £5 be voted to the
actuary, £5 to the auxiliary fund, and £25 to the
secretary, in conaectiou with his valuation of the
assets and liabilities of the club. He was proud
as a benefit member to propose the resolution ex-
pressing the obligations of the club to the secre-

iary. -
Mr. G. Rose seconded the resolution, which was
carried.
Stewards and visitors were appointed, the Rev.
J. D. Bourne was elected a member of the coin
mittee of management in the place of the Rev. J.
Wylde, deceased, and Mr. C. P. Noel was elected a
vice-president.
The Secretary then read the following report of
the Allotment Society :

"Twenty-eighth Report of the Trustees of the
Stewponey Association for the Improvement of
the Labouring Classes.
The Trustees have to report that last year the
land has been underlet to 787 Tenants, at a profit
of £ll9 is Gd, which with 14s 4d interest from the
Saving's Bank, £5 from the Earl ef Dudley, and
150 from County Court fees, makes a total of
£125 166
The Expenses have been £lO3 osBl4, shewing a
profit on the year of £22 lfis lid. This sum added
to the surplus of £24 los 91d as reported in 1871,
makes a surplus for 1872, if all arrears were paid,
of £47 6s bid. There is however £l2 Lis 101 d
to be deducted for voids and bad debts, reducing
the amount to £34 lie 014.
Since the account was made up the suns of £lB
13s 3d has been received, reducing the actual
arrears to £l6 3s 111 d. This reduction however
has not been obtained without some proceedings in
the County Court, under which head a material
item of expenditure will be observed. But on the
other hand the Members will be glad to notice a
considerable diminution in most other it, us,
which, taken together with the reduced arfears,
makes the financial statement in this account an
unusually favourable one.
It is still, however, much to be desired that
more allotments should be obtained; and the more
so, as by fax the largest part of land under the
Associationthat at Wombourne, has been resumed
by the Landlord, and next year's Report will, in
e tivequence, for the first time, exhibit a more
sori us diminution in the work of the Association.
The Trustees much regret that no result appears
to have followed from the concluding paragraph
of last Report on this point.
The increased rent of the land underlet arises
from the fact, that last year the Wombourne rent
was raisedfrom £72 199 to £BO 18s 4d, but the Bel-
broutddon rent was reduced from £27 13s to £26
lie, owing to 14 acres having been taken for the
pool near the Allotment at Bell End."
Lord Lyttelton then distributed the prizes to
the following persons for the best cultivated allot-
ments last year—