The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-09 00:00:00

- giving the directors power to appoint
rescind the rule reserve that power to themselves
certain officers, ane They had hitherto gone on
at a general meeting, placed a gentleman in the
prosperously, and if they
es opposed to the board,
position of secretary who we future success of the
what prospect had they of the .
liould vote with
association ?—(Hear, hear.) He
s_
the committee, but he should have been glad if the
appointment of auditors had been left to the general
meeting, and not to the assembly.—(Hear, hear.)
The CHAIRMAN said the resolution could not be
altered now, but as regarded the auditors, the directors
would have no objection, on some future occasion, to
obtain the views of the members on that subject.—
(Cheers.) With respect to the secretary, he knew
full well (they were the last words he uttered)
that the board of managers had been his best
frienda.—(Loud cheers.) He could assure them
that that was the case. They had shown great
forbearance to him, and had overlooked his
faults until they became frequent, and were of
that character which made it their imperative duty
to exercise the trust which was imposed in them
for the appointment and dismissal of officers. It was
with great regret that he was compelled to make that
assertion.—(Hear, hear.) IN ith regard to the
balance sheet, he said it was not customary to print
it, but that any member who chose to apply at the
office would be allowed to inspect the accounts.—
(Hear, hear.) If it was, however, the wish of the
meeting, the directors would be happy to furnish each
member with a printed copy.--(Hear, hear.) The
board of managers consulted with the solicitors, and
upon their advice had they acted.—(Hear, hear.)
With respect to the amount of salary due when Dr.
Mullinder was dismissed, the board could have no
objection to do anything the meeting might suggest,
and if the meeting had advised the addition of 501. or
even 1001., they would have no objection to accede to it.
—(Hear) The Chairman then referred to a letter
which had been sent by Dr. Mullinder to a gentleman
at Bristol, detailing the matters contained in his
speech, which was exceedingly long, and which he
(the Chairman) considered was not altogether true.
—(Lond cries of " No, no, no," and " Read,
read.") [The document was here read, but was
a mere resume of Dr. Mullinder's explanation.]
The main point which the directors had to set the
meeting right upon was their funds. During the
past year they had had an unusual number of claims
for loans from the benevolent department. Their
great desire was that each of the applicants should
have what he required, as a temporary loan ; being
under the same management, although the accounts
were kept distinct and separate, the loan was made as
required, charging 41- per cent. for it. In the last
year 105 of the benefit members had availed them-
selves of those loans, amounting to the sum of 2,231/.
in'the whole ;:,so that the members had benefited from
it.—(Hear, hear.) During the same period ten only
of the members of the benevolent department had
loans granted to them, amounting to 1981.; so that, in
fact, if the directors had done wrong, the benefit
members had had the advantage of it.—(Hear.) The
directors had felt_it theiriduty to submit a case to Mr.
Tidd Pradt, the barrister appointed to examine
and certify the rules relating to friendly societies.
The case, so submitted to him, stated that during the
past year 105 members of the benefit assurance de-
partment had availed themselves of the privilege of
temporary loans for various sums, amounting in the
whole to 2,2311., and during the same period ten
members of the benevolent department had also had
loans granted, amounting to
.1981. In consequence
of the continued demand for assistance in this way,
and the funds at the disposal of the benevolent de-
partment not being sufficient to meet them, the board
of management, rather than cause a serious impedi-
ment to the combined objects of the association, had,
from time to time, advanced from the benefit depart-
ment to the benevolent department, by way of loan,
various sums, forming a balance of about 7001,
bearing interest at 4f per cent., retaining as
security for the same the promissory notes ofj
the borrowers, with two sureties, amounting '
to about 2,4001., together with various policies
nominated to the chairman as collateral security, in
addition to which the board believed the invested
fund of the benevolent department could always be
made available for debts. At the annual meeting of
the association on the 15th of January the balance-
sheet showed this loan, and no objection was
raised thereto ; but on the 22d January a requisition
for a special general meeting, dated on the 20th of
the same month, having been presented to the board
of management stating, among other points to be dis-
cussed, " whether the board of management had
strictly conformed to the requirements of the several
Acts of Parliament regulating friendly societies, re-
lative to the disposal of the funds belonging to the
association ; and whether the interests of each indi-
vidual member had not been placed in considerable
danger by the acts of the present board of manage-
ment, and still remained so, with the possibility of
the enrolment aad other privileges being
annihilated by the officers of the Crown—
Mr. Tidd Pratt's opinion was requested, whether the
board of management had by making those loans to
the benevolent department so endangered the interest
of each individual member as to render it probable
that the officers of the Crown would annihilate the
enrolment and other privileges of the association ? To
this query Mr. Tidd Pratt, on the 3d of February
inst., replied—" I am of opinion that the board of
management have not by making these loans to the
benevolent department in any way endangered the
interests of each individual inember—(Cheers)—and
that the officers of the Crown would have no right,
and could not in any way interfere so as to anni-
hilate, or rather invalidate, the enrolment and other
privileges of the association."—(Renewed cheers.)
He (the Chairman) believed that was the most essen-
tial point in which the meeting was chiefly interested ;
and he left them to imagine that during the past
fortnight the directors had not felt themselves in
a comfortable position, knowing that so many of the
members must have been misled by the insidious
statement which had been put into their hands.—
cCheers.) He (the Chairman) knew that their late
Secretary had slandered the directors behind their
backs, while he had praised them to their faces.—
(" Shame.") Was it manly to damage the characters
of those who held high and important positions in
this city for 33 years ? Was it supposed that they
had no feelings under such circumstances ! Let the
meeting look at each of the members of this board,
and see the situations which they filled ; and was that
no guarantee ? It had been suggested that the di-
rectors should give the members a guarantee. They
would give no such guarantee, not one of the board
would enter into such a subject ; their guarantee was
in their characters—(Cheers)—and he (the Chair-
man) defied any body to say that there was a stain
upon his.—(Hear, hear.) He (the Chairman) stated
that letters from G. R. Woodward, Esq., Chairman of
the Local Committee at Bristol, Mr. Gould of Exeter,
and Mr. Wagnall, of Birmingham, had been received,
expressive of their continued confidence in the board
of management, and dissenting from the proposed
alterations.

Dr. MuLLINDER put a question to the Chairman
respecting what passed at an interview they had had
with Mr. Tidd Pratt, the exact purport of which was
lost in the disapprobation which it elicited.
The CUAIRMAN attempted to reply, but he was met
with cries of " Quite sufficient," and he resumed his
seat.

A PERSON in the meeting said they bad come down
there to discuss a distinct proposition, and he would
move as an amendment that all the words, except the
word " auditors," be expunged from the resolution.
—(Cries of " Question," and great disapprobation.)
Could they not pass that resolution with the excep-
tion of certain words ?—(" Put the question.")
The CHAIRMAN intimated that there might be some
doubt whether they could strictly entertain the amend-
ment. _ _

The same person said he simply wanted to know
whether they could pass the resolution with--
(No, no.)
Mr. WELCH said that he was not acquainted with
the practice in Parliament, but he knew the usage of
meetings of that kind, and that they must either reject
or adopt the proposition.—(Cheers.)
Mr. COLEMAN said, that by the Friendly Societies'
Act no rule of a society confirmed by a general meet-
ing could be altered or repealed unless at a general
meeting convened by public notice. The position
they stood in then to the requisition was the rescind-
ing of one rule and the substituting another rule for
it. They could not take part of that rule,
and with that explanation; without throwing any
doubt upon the question, it would be well for them
to put it as a standing motion, as proposed.—(Hear.)
The CHAIRMAN then put the resolution, when the
whole meeting, with the exception of about half a
dozen dissentients, voted for the rules remaining as
they were, amidst much cheering.
The CHAIRMAN then asked if any one moved that
the directors should give security ?—(" No, no," and
laughter.)
Mr. THOMSON HANKET, jun., read a letter from
Baron Rothschild apologising for his inability to
attend the meeting.
A vote of thanks to the Treasurer and Trustee;
for their attendance, having been passed,
I.thank you
Mr. JOHN ABEL SMITH, M.P.,
my
very kindly in my own name, and in the namhaevoefj
friends around me, for the compliment
sacrifice we
and so fully appreciate the very tr
Ong the contrary,
ust
make in coming here this evening.o
paid us ; and I can only rejoice thia_t.
opportunity afforded
all of us rejoice that we hared
"interest we feel in the
us of showing the contifnue
this institution. I cannot
prosperity and success o
sit down without adding that the result of this meet-
ingn3O'uOil so kindly I
anticipated—(Hear, hear)—and
I recollecta that I ventured to anti-
cipateyour Chairman
result of this meeting would be what I
that the o
managers so richly
felt he and the other
deserved—
namely, such a declaration of confidence in their-con-
I duct as would strengthen instead of weAkwaing their
is one I fully.i