The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-11-03 00:00:00

are for those who are destitute ; and not for these who
have means of their own. We should be betraying our
trust if we levied al rate upou thew who cannot refuse
to pay when crate is demanded of them; we should be
betreyiug the trust impeded upon Us if we awarded to
ii... yho arc a'•le to support tin:Una:has relief from the
us o.ch is not sus:ant for too puro,c-
I. lims. f:i those nilo sic .10 ,1.1.6te must be given,
id, Is ED.:laud would allun per.OUs to sUlfer
its aii,olUle ',maim', and want. This it the broad
tuunilicion upon w loch society in this country rests, and
I le:hese it ie one source, one great owes that the troubles,
o inch afflict other countrie,, have not been found to
operate in tkis--bes.auee they know that no man, how-
et cr bad his life may hays twee, and however much, as
in good linnet soya, he may have guns to public-housed
and waetal his means, no man is allowed—aud I thank
God fur it—to coffer Irmo absolute starvation and want—
(bear, hear). lint Mr. Everett says the destitute men,
es cu those who oulter from the folly of intoxication, are
provided w ith what is necessary, while the thrifty man is
not assist...l-1A Voice: That is trod/. —That is quite
The Poor-law ia not intended to assist the thrifty
ivaxi.—(A Voice ;it ought to be).—l am thankful to say
that of those whom I know who have the strength and
who have the power to earn their own husin-
%seance, the greater part of them with whom I come in
contacl would scorn to receive assistance, to receive alma
and support from the State—(bear, hear). This is •
wholesome feeling on the part of poor men ; they
would rather rely on their own efforts than go humbly
seeking to have charity doled out to them from the rates,
which are of ten paid by loon as poor as themselves. My
good friend Mr. Everett has said he wishes to we
the Pour-law altered. Now if he or any other Iran will
draw up a plan tor impreving upon the present l'uur-law,
I ale sore I shall be glad tot give it my best attention—
(applause)—but I must take the liberty of reminding
him that while it is extremely easy to criticise and
not fault with, and.to attribute all kinds of evils to,
the laws of this country as they stand, it requires often
a older and abler head to find out what shall be really
iiiiprovenienta on them. I will not pursue this question
Curtis.,, but turn to that which is the subject of this
evenings meeting—(bear, hear). I stand here as •
Durectsuire Winn, deeply interested in all that tends to the
welfare of the county, and therefore deeply interested in
the wellheing of provident societies, which are, as you
know, established for the great and important object of
providing the means of maintenance for a Ulan and his
windy in times of eickness and trouble —for providing
lileaUS fur the widow In the time ut her desolation and
mourning— fur finding her the means of bringing up her
children in their different walks of life, and tor finding
the means oh subsistence for the working man in Ms old
age. Now this is • great and important provision, and I
am thankful to ilea NU large • company assembled to carry
out such good objects—(applause). But there is • result
following from these societies—a result which I value
second to none of there I have mimed—that is, they
promote awl ensure independence to the labouring man.
unan iudependendeuce in the true and good sense of
%he word. I wish every labouring man to lie didependene,
to be free to choose has own place of residence. I wiah
every labouring wan to be free to choose his own master,
and to work at any calling he likes, to be at liberty to
work at what wages he and his master agree upon- (hear,
hear). I wish a man to be free from dictatorial domina-
tion and authority, and free from any combination at
masters—(hear, hear). I wish him also no less to be free
from all dictation and unjust tyranny of his fellow men—
(hear, hear). But, on the other hand, the independence
also which I earnestly wish to every man who hears me
to-night ei the independence of being free from debt. I
have on many mentions addreseed large parties of working
men in different parts of the county, and one subject I
have almost always brought before them is the importance
of keeping out of debt as far as they poseibly can. Now!
know you may my to me "Tm all very well for you to say
Mutt ; it is excellent advice, but how is the poor man to do
It r Well, I say there are large numbers of poor men
who will do so. You have all heard of—and indeed some
persons here may possibly belong to—co-operative societies,
and you know that one fundamental rule of these arsucia-
tione is that ready money payments shall be made for
everything that is purchased. Now there are • great
teeny other rules of these co-operative aucietice to which
men have looked with some interest. We have looked
with considerable interest to those funds from which by
the operation of the different co-operative societies the
profits of their trade and business are derived; and
remember that these profits are only the result of work
done by the co-operative societies themselves—the results
of risks run in the business carried on, and these profits
could not be secured unless work is done for them, just
the same as work is done by tradesmen in their own
id
the
same risk being incurred, and the same profits
as in the co-operative societies. The great secret
of the benefit accruing from tire societies is the
IndatatlCe Oa the cardinal rule that prompt and reedy
money payments shall be made. By that means they
keep all the members free from debt; that, I say, Is one
of the great and beneficial results of such societies. But
it is done in • different way by friendly societies; and
although it is not dune in the same manner it comes to
the Sallie result, because these friendly societies provide
the means for all working men who are members of them
to have payments daring the time they are ill, when of
course their wages may possibly cease. In that way these
societies provide means for the working man during the
times of sickness and infirmity; they prevent his falling
Into debt, and that prevention is. I believe, one of the
Fait advantages which these societies offer—fapplause).
I will not detain you much longer, but you may know
there has been • Bill before Parliament this year with
, regard to thaw societies. It has not yet parsed into an
, Act, because all the details are so numerous, aud the
interests with which the measure deals are so various,
that there was not titile for a proper and sufficient con-
sideration during the reeseien of Parliament just passed.
One thing, I think, it provides for, which is of very great
iwportauce —it provides for the registration of all the
rules in the different societies. Puldwity is at the bottom
of eli good goverunwut, whether it is the public govern-
meat of thy country, or the government of societies like
these. I have no fear as lung as the rules of a society are
known to all its members. We have heard of great evils
among from aurletiea in which secret rule* prevail,
liars:as if the 01 day had only been allowed to enter,
it the public hao koown the rides, if all the members had
been nequaluted with ell the rules, many of those evils
wunilu not base fa-ruffed. The publicity given by the
P.srlianient will be an enwiitha benefit for societies
such as tuese. I HOW Wilt/ JO CUilgrAttllahl the working
men on the prospects or the corning winter. We have
had, and we may be truly thankful for it, • very abundant
haricot- (hear, Wart Wheat sod I,read an, happily at
prima I believe, lower than those wldch have prevailed
tor a great number of years previously ; perliaps they are
almost as low as they have been for the last quarter of •
century. We have somewhat diminished the prices of
two great necessaries— cad and meat; we have an
. .

abundant supply of that which goes largely into every
houeekesping—that is, we have A quantity of good
potatoes. I think these are all unitters for which all of
whether working men or not., have good cause to be
thankful. Enipluyiuent is tolerably plentiful, and I
licher. no good workmen need he without employiunnt
if he chooses to find it. Therefurr, looking at all things,
think we may enter upon the enter with • gind heaM
trusting in that gracious Providence which has supplied
our wawa so bountifully in the past autumn, trusting also
1.,, that sound sense of the working classes, as shown by
your meeting here to-night, and shown by your warm and
earnest support of such societies as these whose members
have i.seinbled here this evening--(applamse).
Mr. Mill-111F.M. M.P., briedy thanked the company for the
cordial way in which his health had been received.