The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-01 00:00:00

Provident Clerks' Benevolent Fund.

-.0.--

The twenty-fifth annual meeting of the members
of the Provident Clerks' Benevolent Fund was held
last night at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-
street ; John Abel Smith, Esq., M.P., presided.
The annual report of the directors was read by
Mr. LINFORD, the secretary, as follows :
The Directors of the Provident Clerks' Benevolent Fund
have much pleasure in presenting to the members and
friends of the Fund their 25th annual report.
Tho income of the past year has been as follows :
d.
From Subscriptions... •
1, 53 i 3 £ s. 0
„ Donations ... ▪
81 10 6
„ Interest on Investments ... 1,263 17 9

£2,870 11 3
Pursuant to the resolution of t o annual general meeting
held on the 22d February last, an election of twelve
annuitants took place on the 25th May, when the following
were elected, viz.:-
3 Clerks to annuities of £3O each,
7 Widows to „ of £2O „
2 ~
„ of £l5 ~
being 12 annuitants for a total sum of £260 per annum.
Two annuitants have died during the year, and one has
re-married, and the Board now recommend that eight ad-
ditional annuitants be elected, viz., two clerks and six
widows of clerks. A resolution to the effect will be sub-
mitted to the meeting.
The sum cf £176 3s. has been distributed in gratuities
during the past year.
In their last report the board informed the members of
their intention to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the
Fund by a public dinner. From unavoideble causes they
were compelled to defer their purpose until the present
year, when Robert Wigram Crawford, Esq., who has been
appointed ono of the trustees in the place of Mr. Prescott,
deceased, has kindly consented to preside. The day fixed
on is the 2d of May. As on the last occasion, the aid of
every member will be solicited, when the board do not
doubt that, as on that occasion, the most gratifying results
will be obtained.
The claims of this fund on the mercantile community
are so strong that it is with the fullest confidence the board
appeal for the assistance which the constantly increasing
claims on the fund have rendered necessary.
The balance-sheet showed a balance of receipts over
expenditure of £852 95. Bd. The capital account showed
a balance to credit of £30,179 15s. 7d.
The CHAIRMAN said he rose 'to discharge a
pleasing duty—namely, to,move that the report be
adopted ; and he heartily congratulated the
institution that at present it stood so favour-
ably, and was in a position so gratify-
ing and so encouraging. He did not see so
many persons attending the meeting as he could
wish, as it showed that they did not take so great
an interest in the success of the institution as he
did ; however, he hoped that some daylight would
break upon them, because it was " Never too late
to mend." (Applause.) Nevertheless, he hoped
that the members and friends this year would give
a long, strong, and hearty pull at the oar, and en-
deavour to give effect to the celebration of the
proposed anniversary of the institution by a public
dinner. (Hear, hear.) It was known by ex-
perience that such dinners tended to increase the
means of public institutions ; for those who were
invited to and partook of a good dinner upon a
public occasion would not, probably, forget the
want of means of those who wanted a dinner.
(Applause.) He thanked God that the comfort and
wellbeing of one class of the community not favoured
by favourable circumstances was constantly being
more and more studied and considered through
the good feeling of another class ; and he was sure
that on the forthcoming occasion the public would
take an interest in the welfare of the Provident
Clerks' Benevolent Society, and would not be wanting
eitherin its duties or obligations. He could only in
conclusion say that it was a great satisfaction to
him to see the fund in such a flourishing condition,
and he hoped it would go on increasing in prosperity,
and become as large a means of benefiting the class
for which it was intended as he himself could
desire. (Cheers.)
The motion of the chairman was then put to the
meeting and carried unanimously.
Mr. R. H. JONES said he wished particularly to
say a word or two nn that their 25th anniversary,
because h 3 did not think it was right to allow such
an event to pass without telling the members
what had been done during that period. (Hear,
hear.) Since the establishment of the fund they
had paid to annuitants no less a sum than
£l3,92o—(hear, hear)—and the progressive increase
would be observable from the following figures,
dividing the periods into five years. The first five
years, it was £56 ss. ; the second, £773 15s. ; the
third, £2,596 ss. ; the fourth, £4,471 4s. ; and the
fifth, £6,025 Bs., making a total of £13,922.
(Cheers.) By this it would be seen there had been
a gradual and satisfactory increase throughout the
entire period. They had elected 117 annuitants,
79 of whom were now on their list, and with the
eight they purposed electing very shortly they
would bring their list up to 87. They had given
away in gratuities a sum of £3,000, and no one but
those who have an opportunity of seeing the reci-
pients can entertain any idea of the amount of good
which had been effected. They were precluded by
their rules from giving more than £lO in one sum,
and none had received the help of the fund but those
properly qualified. They had granted £40,120 in
loans to members, and the loss from such a proceed-
ing had only been £6OO, or about 1i per cent, on
the sum advanced. Those members who had loans
were carefully impressed with the necessity of being
punctual in their repayments, because it wasl
most unpleasant to have to enforce their
rules against those who had partaken of the
benefits of the fund. The guinea subscribing mem-
bers were not so numerous as they ought to be, but
the numbers of the assuring members amounted to
3,975 ; however, it was consolatory to know that
they were quite independent of the guinea donations,
and all he could say was that those who could afford
to give a guinea to the fund, and did not do so,
were not animated by a proper feeling. (Hear,
hear.) Altogether they had given away the sum
of £16,800 in doing good, and ifthat.was not enough
to animate them he did not know what could. He
hoped that every member would join heartily in pro-
moting the success of their forthcoming anniversary
dinner, and that noble as the sum derived from
the last one was, amounting to no less a sum
than £2,600, of which £1,500 was due to the mem-
bers themselves, it would be exceeded by the exer-
tions of the members in the present year. (Hear,
hear.) There was, however, one subject of deep re-
gret to him, as well as he was sure it would be to
the whole of the members generally, and that was
the absence of their esteemed and valued deputy-
chairman, Mr. Welch. For nearly 25 years he had
never failed to attend their meeting, and per-
forming that which was a source of inexpressible
pleasure to him, namely, moving the resolution
for the election of annuitants. (Hear, hear.) His
absence, as was well known, was caused by a pain-
ful illness, and the duty, therefore, had devolved
upon him (Mr. Jones). With a fervent hope that
their kind, good friend would soon be restored to
health, he would conclude by moving, as a resolu-
tion, that on the 31st of May next eight additional
annuitants, namely, two clerks and six widows of
clerks, be elected on the fund. (Cheers.)
Mr. PRICE seconded the motion, and, at the same
time, expressed his deep regret at the absence of Mr.
Welch, to whom he knew it was both a pride and
pleasure to propose the resolution increasing the
number of their annuitants. He (Mr. Price) and the
chairman were two of the original promoters of the
fund, and it was not generally known that the
Benevolent Fund, at the commencement of their
labours, was looked upon as the basis of their Life
Assurance Society ; yet the Life branch had taken
the lead, and it showel to him that, however persons
were disposed to take care of themselves, they did
not think much about taking care of others. The
fund was not supported as it deserved to be by those
clerks who received large salaries. (Hear, hear.)
There were many clerks in good situations who did
not grudge to spend £5 at a dinner at Richmond,
or over whitebait at Greenwich, but would not give
a guinea as a subscription to such a commendable in-
stitution as the Provident Clerks' Fund. He ear-
nestly urged the members to persuade their friends
to aid a cause that would prevent the board from
sending away widows with weeping eyes, or poor
blind and disabled men without annuities. (Cheers.)
The resolution was carried unanimously.
Mr. JEPPS moved a vote of thanks to their Trea-
surer, Mr. J. A. Smith, M.P., and to the trustees,
Baron L. de Rothschild, M.P., and Messrs. Thomas
Baring, M.P., R. W. Crawford, M.P., and Thom-

son Haukey, M.P. He feelingly remarked upon
the loss the society had sustained by the death of
Mr, Prescott, a late trustee, 4e also spoke of the