The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-01 00:00:00

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

Mr. Tidd Pratt's report on friendly societies has
again this year to give an account of many failures.
Sixty. five societies have been dissolved in the course
of the year. The causes of such societies not being
able to meet the claims of the members are to be
found in incorrect tables for the contributions, small
number of members, insecure investment of funds,
and unnecessary expenses of management, which
actually, in some instances, take 10s. out of every
£1 subscribed. Most of these societies still hold
their meetings at publichouses, with the landlords
for treasurers; and the members are required by
the rules of the most of the old societies to spend
a monthly sum in beer " for the good of the house,"
which amount' is generally taken from the box,
whether the members have or have not paid their
contributions, and in many instances the money
is not repaid to the society. In the correspond-
ence of the year it is stated in a letter to the
registrar respecting the affairs of a society, that
it hai. spent £1,300 of the funds " for this good of
the house." There is generally a strong party in
favour of it. One letter states that a female
friendly society will be obliged to break up
unless they are allowed to have an annual feast
and music; and an objector who is contending
with the managers against any such applica-
tion of the trust funds writes :—" I can do nothing
with them unless you assist me by sending
a very saucy letter to the stewards." Sometimes
the law is evaded by paying an extravagant rent
for the room, the excess being really allowed in
beer. In the very curious correspondence of the
year, a clergyman writes to object to the applica-
tion to old members of a new rule proposed for a
female club to the effect that any member having a
child within such a time after marriage as implies
immorality shall be expelled ; his reason being not
merely the inquisitorial character of the investiga-
tion in a society whose direction is chiefly in the
hands of some old maids, but also that "by far the
greater number of women are pregnant in this part
of the country before they are married." The regis-
trar considers it proved by 35 years' experience
that some further provisions are necessary to secure
to working men that they shall not be required to
subscribe to these societies more than is necessary,
and that they shall be certain of obtaining the bene-
fits paid for. Returns which he has obtained from
only 128 unions show that 1,150 inmates in their
workhouses who have been members of friendly
societies which have been broken up or dis-
solved. He invites suggestions in reference to the
bill laid before the House of Lords last session by
the Earl of Shelburne, proposing that a parish may
adopt a friendly society, suoscribe to its funds, and
guarantee, with the securigy of the poor-rates, the
benefits it promises ; the parish to have the power
at any time to close the society against any more
new members. It is for the interest of the parish
that the working man should have some provision
for sickness and old age. In regard to the distress
in the manufacturing counties, the registrar has
suggested that a rule may be agreed to by societies,
enabling a special meeting to suspend payment of
the contributions for a certain time, and, if neces-
sary, to suspend the payment of benefits also. He
has to record that, by the Act of last session, indus-
trial and provident societies have th
limited liability. It is worth notice that
asked last year to certify rules imposing a penalty
on every member of a society who shall work for
any roaster while a dispute is being held between
the master and his men, or who shall engage to
work for an employer under the price his men are
getting,

THE LONDON, CHATHAM, AND DOVER RAlL-
WAY.—Yesterday Messrs, Pullen, Home, and Co., pro-
ceeded with a further sale of nearly 20 houses, by order of
the directors of the above railway, which will be removed for
the construction of the line, which, by this sale, will be in
close proximity with the terminus adjoining the intended
bridge. The premises disposed of, one of which is a Bap-
tist chapel, are situated in Church-street, Holland-street,
Blackfriars-road, &c.

THE SITE OF ST. THOMAS'S HOSPITAL.--It has
been determined upon the entire removal of the structure,
the late St. Thomas's Hospital, to erect upon the site of i',
in addition to the terminus of the London, Chatham, and
Dover line, which will occupy a portion of the ground, a
number of shops, warehouses, &c. It is stated that the
area comprises four acres, with frontages to Wellington-
steet, St. Thomas-street, and James-street, and also to
the South-Eastern and London and Brighton Railway
stations. It i.. not intended to take down the north wing,
which has a frontage to Wellington-street, and which is in
excellent condition, the object being to dispose of this fcr
warc-lamer

GENITAL PEEL ON ARMY AND NAVY

EXPENDIIURE.

At the annual dinner of the Huntingdonshire
Agricultural Society, yesterday, Gen. PEEL, after
some other remarks, said—We are asked where is
the army ? I might answer that question by ask-
ing, where it is not ? It is spread over the whole
world, and that not for any purpose of aggression,
bnt merely to de'encl the empire upon which it is
said the sun never sets, and over which I am afraid
some portion of our visitors during their stay here
believe that it never rises. (Laughter and cheers.)
But although our troops are employed mainly for
purposes of defence, they have more foreign duties
to perform than any army in the world. They are
subject to greater vicissitudes of climate, anti more
of those changes which a soldier is subject to than
the men in any other army ; and it is the manner in
which they, as well as the navy, perform their
duties which secures to them the praise and appro-
bation of their fellow subjects. (Cheers.) I now
approach that part of the subject in which we are
perhaps more deeply interested, and that is the ex-
pense of the army. It is perfectly true, denied by
nobody, acknowledged by everybody, that our naval
and military expenditure, considering that this is a
time of peace, has arrived at an enormous amount.
13 ut the necessity for that has arisen from its having
been indispensable that we should adapt our arma-
ments to those changes which science is introducing
in everything connected with the systems of attack
and defence. At this moment we have two great
departments in the State, the Admiralty on the one
hand, and the War-office on the other, the duty of
each of which is to endeavour to destroy the work
of the other. It is the duty of the Admiralty to
endeavour to construct vessels with armour plating
which can resist the effect of any missiles that can
be thrown against it. It is the duty of the War-.
office to produce a gun that can at once destroy the
best vessels hat can be produced by the Admiralty.
This is all very expensive ; but it is a very ncessary
and a very useful rivalry., (Hear, hear.) I for one
have lived long enough to know that the worst pos-
sible deception is deception of ourselves. There is
nothing so fatal as to believe that you have either
the best ship or the best gun until you have proved
it to be so. In the moment of trial you may find
your ship riddled like a sieve, or that youragun may
be silenced by a superior one. Depend upon it,
whatever may be the cost, England must have the
best gun and the best ship that science can produce.
(Cheers.) And I have no doubt, looking at the
talent directed to the attainment of those objects,
that we shall be successful. (Cheers.) I believe
that, at the present time, you have the best
ship afloat and the best gun extant; but there
is no knowing that there may not be something
superior. Now, if we have been too precipitate,
adopting to too great an extent inventions which
at the time may not appear, but prove to be the best,
without waiting to see whether something better
may not be produced—if we have been too precipi-
tate in that respect, it is not the fault of any go-
vernment or of the head of any department. It is
your fault—l don't say it is a fault—it is, at all
events, you who, though your representatives in
parliament, and through the public press, have
always been calling out for more iron ships and
more rifled guns. (Hear, hear.) It is exceedingly
difficult to draw a correct line between too much
caution on the one part and too sanguine a view as
to the merits of any invention on the other. In the
first instance, if you are too cautious you will always
be waiting and will never do anything. You will
always be waiting for something better. (Hear.)
You can understand this, for you have seen a steam
plough to-day of great merit, but probably you
will hang back and wait until something bet-
ter is produced. With respect to a great de-
partment of the state, if you are too sanguine,
if you supply yourselves to too great on extent
with some invention, probably another may
be brought forward immediately afterwards
which may show that what you have previously
done is comparatively useless. It is to ascertain
which is best that the experiments are going on of
which you are daily reading accounts in newspapers.
I have no doubt in my own mind that in, the end
the gip will prevail, and will succeed in perforat-
ing any iron plating and any ship that can be put
afloat, and that the merit of that gun will be, the
greatest merit which can produce the most power-
ful effect at the longest distance. (Hear, hear.)
If you were to send out to-morrow the best fleet
you could have produced three years ago, armed
with the smooth-bore gun to meet a smaller force
armed with guns of the present day, you might as
well send out so many boys to catch birds by put-
ing scat on their tails—(laughter)--with the dif-
ference that the birds would take care you should
not come near them, and would take all the salt of
you. (Cheers and laughter.) What I have now
said applies to the material, the toast applies to the
men. In them, thank heaven, there can be no
change, and lam sure we want none. They will
serve any guns they may be placed at, and do their
duty on board any ships that the Admiralty may
place afloat. (Hear, hear.) Seeing no naval officer
present, I beg to return thanks both for the army
and navy.

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