The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-21 00:00:00

the Deputy-Chairman would be read with interest I,y
in the cvuntry, w,.1 the vii,et
woul ts.w-,.t it wc..itld urge tileat :0 I.;.,c.ewed ex; r-
tions of the as:,ociation.—(Applause.)
The CHAIRMAN then proceeded to the election of
the audit.q.!; for the onsui:2g year. The followiiig
gent'.-'risen werr, th. eandidat.::;:—Mr. Richard 8-1,
Mr. Edward Ck)letnan, i\rr. Jianei Rieharil J4lO 1,
Mr. Sancton Wood and Mr. CtlarLs Wcoriey.

Mr. BELL intimated his wi6ll to wi!hdraw from
the of,S,JO of auditor, rid said that he had mow.
mended Mr. Charles Woolley to fill the office in hiA
stead, a gentleman who had both the will and ..the
ability to render important servici:s to the association.
Ith.'SSIS. Edward Coleman, J. IL Lloyd, S Wood,
and C. Woolley, having been severally proposed and
seconded, _ _

The CHAIRMAN proceeded to take a show of hands
for each, the result of which was that there appeared
—for Mr. E. Coleman, 54 ; Mr. J. R. Lloyd, 47 ;
Mr. Sancton Wood, 47, and Mr. C. Woolley, 70.
• A second show of hands was taken for Messrs.
Lloyd and Wood, when the numbers appeared this
time to he—for Tdr. Lloyd 50, and for Mr. Wocd 40.
The CUAIRMAN then declared that Messrs. Wool-
ley, Coleman, and Lloyd had been duly elected
auditors for the ensuing year, and a resolution wa.
afterwards passed fixing their remuneration at
15/. 15s.

Mr. LLOYD briefly retdrned thanks, promising to
do his best in the service of the association, and urg-
ing► upon the members the necessity for persuading
their young fellow-clerks to take advantage of its
principles.
Mr. COLEMAN also thanked the meeting for re-
electing him, and said he would do his best to deserve

their Confidence.
Mr. MAITLAND moved a vote of thanks to the
press for the liberality with which it had given pub-
licity to the merits and proceedings of the association.
To show the great benefit which the association de-
rived from the advocacy of the press, he mentioned
that an attempt had recently been made in Liverpool
to establish a similar institution to this, only confin-
ing its operations to that locality. The attempt,
however, had not succeeded, and the management of
this association having offered to adopt the business of
the local society upon the same terms that they
accepted it, the Liverpool papers were now using
their best endeavours to induce them to accede to the
proposal.—(Cheers.)
The resolution having been duly seconded, was put
to the vote and carried unanimously, which closed
the principal business of the meeting.
Mr. THOMAS said he wished to make a few remarks
with reference to the special meeting that was about
to be called. He understood that, in conformity
with the Friendly Societies' Act the rules would
have to be altered at that special meeting, and he
should, therefore, be glad to know if it had occurred
to the board to make some alteration in the rules that
related to the division of profits. He alluded more
particularly to that rule which compelled every policy-
holder to give up thirty-three per cent. of his share
of the profits to the benefit department. Now, so long
as that rule lasted, the general public were not likely
to bring their business to them. They could go else-
where and have their interest served better, because
in other societies so large a deduction as
33 per cent. was seldom or never made. He
would, therefore, suggest that, in order to
induce the general public to insure with this
association, they should so altar the rules at the forth-
coming special meeting as to reduce that proportion
to five or ten per cent.—(Cheers.) At present it wr.s
quite clear that this 33 per cent. was all profit to the
benevolent fund, which vva% by no moans an equit-
able arrangement now. He thought it might have
been, when it was proposed to restrict the benefit of
the association to clerks only, but they had since
thrown open their doors to the whole public, and if
they wished to share the public business with other
offices they must cease to continue a rule which re-
quired the policy-holder to give up 33 per cent.
or his profits, when he could go to other institu-
Lions who only deducted five per cent.—(Cheers.)
Another point of grew; importance which tie wished
to mention was tha:-, of making all the policies of the
company indisputable. Ife thought the directors
should take every possible care in the first instance
before they accepted a life, but afterwards that
the policies should be like a Bank of England note,
payable on demand, without any question being put
or doubt raised. Clerks, as a body, could only afford
to take up policies for small amounts, and deny dis-
pute was raised after their decease it would not be
worth while going to law for the purpose of
recovering the amount; and, even were the
representatives of clerks so disposed, they
could no.; afford the expense of litigation, and
they had no wealthy friends or connexions to apply
to for assistance; therefore, for several reasona, it was
desirable that the policies of clerks should be guarded
by indisputability.—(Hear.) These were the two
points on which he desired information from the
Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN replied that he would have to be
very cautious in giving an answer, as these were
very important points to decide; but he would just
say, that as regards the first, he met the four trus-
tees on Friday last, and would have to meet them
again, when the whole matter would be gone into, and
their advice and assistance take-it with respect to

the proposed alterations. As regards the other
point, that would necessarily be brought before
them on the alteration of the rules. The
policies issued were really indisputable, though the
word was not employed. There was not the slightest
disposition on the part of any of the managers to dis-
pute policies ; on the contrary, they desired that every
possible latitude should be allowed, so as to avoid non-
payment. However, on these two subjects he could
give no further answer on the present occasion than
that they had been and were still under the attention
of the board.—(Hear.)
After some further discussion of an unimportant
nature,
Mr. BELL said he believed the fact of a third of the
profits going to the benevolent department was a
great bar and hindrance to members recruiting for
new assurers, because persons said they could go
to offices which divided the whole of the profits among
the members. However, he believed they had laid
the foundation of an institution which, if carried on
in the spirit it had been, and with the alterations sug-
gested, would not be exceeded by any similar one in
London.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. REYNOLDS said ne was a member of the assu-
rance and benevolent department, and he thought
much might be said on both sides as regards the di-
vision of profits; but the best course, before any
alteration was proposed, would be to call a general
meeting on the subject, and allow members ample
time to reflect as to the propriety of the suggestion.
He entirely agreed with Mr. Thomas as to the neces-
sity of making the policies indisputable.
Mr. Thomas, having said a word or two in ex-
planation of his former statement, begged to move a
vote of thanks to the Chairman. He had had the
pleasure of knowing Mr. Jones ever since the origin
of the association, and that gentleman had always
given his very best and most conscientious services to
promote the interests of the society ; and on this oc-
casion, as on every other in which he had occupied
the chair, he had shown himself unbiassed and im-
partial in every respect.--(Cheers.)

The 'vote was carried with acciam- ation.
The CHAIRMAN said he received the compliment
they bad just paid him with no small gratification,
and the more so as it had been accorded to him with
that perfect unanimity which alwaya prevailed at
their meetings.--'(Cheers.) The chairman concluded
by adverting to the portrait of Mr. John Abel Smith,
g.P., the treasurer of the benevolent fund, 'placed
in the boardi-room of the society, and invited the in-
spection of it there by such of the members as bad
not :seen it, before it was sent to the engraver's,
which it would be in a few days, with a view to mul-
tiplying copies of it for distribution among such of
the members as' should choose to avail themselves
of it.

The meeting, which was throughout characterise
by the greatest unanimity and good feeling, then
eparated.

THE LAW OF PATENTS.

The !batwing official orders have just been issuod:—
" The Attorney-General, with the consent and con-
currence of the Solicitor-General, hereby gives
that from and after the 15th day of January, 1854ep0.
" 1. Every outline, description, and tirtlwir,g,
must
be
Gited with the Attorney and Solicitor-Goners!, /
nova'
signed and dated by the person applying 1" t' la' t?..nr'
or his agent.
epnorsoel mt
oe. enrolment
poo fsitth
se
"2. Every person who shall haiin• evodefe psi::: ti:dano outline,utlindee_,
invention, shall b® at
description, or drawing of
specification, liberty a t anys, u timece previouslycancel
anntportionor btihli os
thpeur
aor drawing of his invention,
de-
scription, or drawing;-and
fresh outline,
part.description, or
shall have entered a
omitting the cancelled
w o
caveat
granting of any patent, and shall, upon the
against the
Induce . i hie opposition, the Attorney or Soli.
11;31igHenuvee.rrayl nPoertstconmahke any report upon the applica-
tionshall deposit with the Attorney or
Solicitor-General an outline, description, or drawing of
C itt
for
his invention in respect of which he opposes the grant-
ingthe patent,
of the said patent, such outline, description, or
drawing to be approved by the Attorney or Solicitor-
General.

,4 4. After the specification shall bavo been enrolled,
any person shall be at liberty, on the production of a
certificate of the enrolment, or after two du) a' notice,
and payment of is., to inspect the outline, description,
or drawing so deposited with the Attorney or Solicitor-
General, as aforesaid, of the invention in respect of
which the specification shall have been so enrolled, as
aforesaid, and any person shall be at liberty to obtain an
office copy of such outline description from the office of
t►:e Attorney or Solicitor-General, on payment of th
accustomed charges.
(Signed)

'• Jonx ROMU,LY."

THE TEA TRADE, JAN. 20.—Last week's tea deli-
veries in London were large, being 561,9251 b.