The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-21 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
GUILDHALL.

Nathan Fox, of 10, Londonhouse-yard, St. Paul's,
and Francis John George Taton, of 16, Garlick-hill,
stewards of the United Loyal Britons Benefit Society,
appeared before Sir George Carroll, in answer to a
summons obtained against them by Thomas Kilving-
ton, complaining that they did improperly and un-
justly expel him from the said society, and requiring
them to show cause why he should not be reinstated
as a member.

Mr. Wontner attended for the complainant, and
Mr. Humphrys for the defendants.
Mr. Wontner, in opening the case, briefly stated
that it was one that came within the meaning of the
Fa iendly Societies Act, and that complainant became
a member of the society in 1827, and had punctually
paid up all his subscriptions until the 27th of last
June, when he by accident omitted to pay at the ae-
pointed hour, and his name was, in accordance with
the rules, expunged from the society's books.
The money was offered the same night that
the meeting took place for receiving subscriptions,
but it being past the hour the secretary declined
to receive it. It wits also tendered to the stewards
on the following day, and refused by them, and
they soon after apprised Mr. Kilvington that he was
no longer a member. One of the regulations of the
society stipulated that not more than seventy-one
members should be admitted into the society, and that
when the number should be reduced to five, the sur-
plus funds, amounting.to about 1,7001., were to be
divided between them. That, he believed, was the
real cause of the society refusing to re-admit him.
Several technical objections were taken to the evi-
dence of Mr. Kilvington, but they were overruled by
Sir George Carroll, who observed that objections of
that nature would not tend favourably towards the
point in question.
Thomas Kilvington said he lived at 20, Little St.
Thomas the Apostle, and was in the employ of
Messrs. Laurie, Holyland and Co, of Watling-street.
He admitted having been called on by the society to
pay the amount of 1/. Oa. 7d. on the night of the
27th of June. The society was established for the
purpose of defraying the funeral expenses of any of
the members or their families who might die,
and of affording some temporary relief to the widows
and orphans of deceased members. He was occupied
at work till about 11 o'clock on Thursday night, the
27th of June, for his employers, and consequently
was unable to attend the meeting. He, however,
tendered the money the same evening to the secretary,
and the following morning at nine o'clock to the
stewards, but it was declined by all these parties.
He wrote a letter which the stewards said they would
place before the committee at the next quarterly
meeting, and let him know the result. He waited
for some time without receiving any communication ;
and then, when he applied to the secretary, he was
informed that his name had been erased from the
books as a defaulter, and that he was no longer a
member. He had often paid up the subscriptions of
absent members to save them from being expelled
the society, and he expected some one would
have done the same for him. He had paid 60/.
into the society during the many years he had been a
member, and had never drawn a single farthing,
either on occount of death in his family, or by de-
claring himself upon the sick list. There were
twenty-seven members at present in the society, all
of whom, with the exeeption of himself, he believed
had received relief in one shape or another from the
funds of the society. Several of the present members
from time to time had become defaulters, and had
been reinstated either by interest with the committee,
or by claiming the alderman's interference.
Alderman CHALLIS said it would be a very hard
case for a man, after he had been a member for so
many years, and had punctually paid up all subscrip-
tions, to be suddenly excluded from the benefits of
the society, merely because he had been unavoidably
detained from attending the meeting for paying sub-
scriptions.
Mr. Humphrys said that, in calling upon the Al-
derman to decide according to the regulations laid
down for the government of the society, he was only
acting to the letter of his instructions. He therefore
relied'upen the sixth rule, wherein it was distinctly
stated that " if any member shall neglect to pay up
his quarterly subscription on the day appointed for
receiving the same according to the rules of the
society, his name shall be expunged from the book,
and himself excluded from all benefits to be derived
from the funds of the said society."
Sir GEORGE CARROLL said he thought it had been
clearly shown that there was no neglect in the non-
payment of the subscription, and therefore the com-
plainant's case did not come within the bearing of
that rule. It would have been sufficient to inflict a
small fine instead of turning the man out after having
received so much of his money, without his having
derived any benefit whatever from it. He would,
therefore, under all the circumstances, order com-
plainant to pay a fine of 10s. for being a defaulter,
and direct that he be re-installed as a member of the
society on paying up all arrears.
BU W-STREET.

A cabowner complained that since the new instrue-
tions had been issued by the Commissioners of Police,
cabdrivers were summoned by the police-constables
most indiscriminately, and that if they only waited a
moment in the street with their vehicles, for the pur-
pose of drawing up in the ranks, that was called an
obstruction. Cabowners paid large sums yearly for
their licence, and the returns were very small, in
comparison with the duty paid. lie paid upwards of
7001. yearly for duty alone, and if his cabdrivers were
summoned in this manner they would not be able to
pay their expenses.
Mr. Superintendent Pearse, of the F division, said
there were more cab-stands in this district than in any
other. They had been altered, and new ranks
formed, and the constables were very strict because
they had orders to be so. Their attention was more
particularly pointed to this duty, as hackney car-
riages were daily increasing, and if the cabdrivers
were not compelled to obey the regulations, the
streets would be literally blocked up.
rliC'hSavivdo be the means of the
said, if
if those regulations were
c b
cabdrivers
r eanfeneedr'it
leaving the work. Already some
re-
spectablest r
of the best hands had resigned their licence sooner
than put up with the present regulations.
Mr. JARDINE said the evil rested with cabowners
in running so many more cabs than were necessary.
.1h
had no doubt that in the next session of Parlia-
ment a special Act would be passed by the Legisl4-
ture restricting the number of hackney carriages,
which had been wanted for some time past. The
public were daily crying out against the nuisance,
and if one cabman was hailed, there were others run-
ning after the same fare.