Star.
London, England, 1825-09-13 00:00:00

CABINET-MAYERS' SOCIETY.

°HEAP CABINET and UNIOLSTERY, at the
LONDON REPOSITORY for theTABINET-MAKERS'
SOCIETY, being the only real one now existing in London, No.
71, Corner of LEADEN HALL-STREET, opposite Aldgate
Pump, and which has been Established upwards of Six Years. For
READY MOSSY, and no Abatement.
The Trustees and Committee respectfully inform the Nojsilicy
and Gentry. that they still conduct the above Establishment, for
the Benefit of Industrious and Ingenious Mechanics (who have
large Families), by offering their Manufactured Articles in the
Cabinet Line, of the best Workmanship. and Cheaper than by any
House in London, no other Profit being required than to satisfy
the warehouse rent and incidental expenses; being satisfied with
constant employment to enable them to support their families, the
number of whom appears by the books of the last Quarterly Meet.
ing to be 148. From the great patronage the Committee have re.
ceived they are in hopes of increasing that number.
The whole of the Society beg leave to return their sincere
thanks to those Ladies and Gentlemen who have hitherto honoured
them with their Orders and Recommendations, and shall always
feel happy in their endeavours to give future satisfaction ; at the
same time solicit a continuance of their benevolence, whereby they
may be enabled to increase the number of the Society.
The following Articles are inserted as a Specimen of the very Low
Prices, all warranted.--heady Money only.
Full size Mahogany four-post Bedstead, lath bottom Al 155.-
Full size Tent Bedstead At 6a.-Bordered Hair Mattress to lit
£1 11.-Mahogany Drawers, solid Ends £3 U.-Feather Bed
f 2 'Oa _Ditto. free from dust and smell, full site £3 10a-Six
japanned Chairs of any description in oil £1 6a-Best ditto Wash-
band Stand 165.-Ditto Dressing Table M.-Ditto Table Cs.-
Ditto Stand 65.-3 feet 6 inches Chests of Drawers £4 U.-Three
feet mahogany Pembrlke Table £1 lea-Three foot ditto one
pillars and claws £5 155.-Mahogany Dressing Table gel 45.-
Ditto Bidett, best, Al 4a-Ditto Box Glass, two drawers, best
British Platt 155.-Ditto ditto £1 7a-Ditto Swing Glass, 4s. and
6a each-Tray Stand 65.-Long Mahogany Tray M.-Japanned
Book Shelf 7s-Tea Caddy 10a-Music Chairs any pattern
Cs. 6d.-Eight Mahogany Chairs, covered with horse hair, brass
nailed .16 61.-8 ditto ditto £7 75.-8 Trafalgar ditto £8 16s.
-Mahogany Sofa to march £6 10.-Ditto Couch .47 lOs -Ditto
ditto £8 10s.-Set of Mahogany Card and Sofa Tables, on turned
legs, banded in rose-wood £8 15a-Set of Blabegany Tables, Piell
Card and Sofa, .on pillars and claws £l5 135.-Ditto £l6 10s.-
Straw Palliasse £1 la-Tent Bedstead and Furniture AV 181.
-Bamboo Bedstead and French elliptic top, with drapery and
fringe, £8 106.-Five-foot Mahogany four-post Bedstead and
Furniture, with French draperies, lined all through, complete,
Xl5 lOs.-Five-foot ditto ditto. £l6 lOs.-Ditto ditto, with
cornice of a superior mke, £lB 10.-Ditto ditto, with gold cor-
nice elegant drapery. £20.-Drawing• room. Curtains, of the best
lotitie and Chintz, fitted for windows, £6 6a-Ditto ditto,
£7 75.-Ditto, of a superior and elegant style of work. £lO 10s.-
Drawing-room Sofa, £6 65.-Ditto, 75.-Horse-heir Cushions
each ss. 6d.-Common ditto 4s. 6d.
COUNTRY DEALERS SUPPLIED. •

Goods packed free of expense, except the materials, for all
parts of Great Britain, and to the East and West Indies.—Cap-
tains hued out, and Merchants supplied' with Cabinet Goods for
exportation. The above Prices regulated by *order of the follow-
ing Committee. •
J. CA 1111.11 H. JAcaow, i W. WAGuomt,
T. Matta, T. Colinas, J. Wu.sou.
W. THURNELL, Agent!
J. LERR, Secretary.

from time to time to assemble to'ether, and to make,
ordain, and constitute such proi.er and wholesome
rules, orders, and rOulatiOris, for the better govern-
ment and guidance of the same, a,-; to the maker part of
such Society, or such Committee thereof, so assembled
together, shall seem meet, so as such rules, orders, and
regulations, shall not be repugnant to the laws of this
realm, nor any of the express provisions or regulations
of this Act; and to impose and inflict such reaednable
fines and forfeitures upon the several memhetshr -any
such Society, who shall offend against such rules; or-
ders, or regulations, as shall be just and necessary for
duly enforcing the same, to be respectively paid to such
uses, for the benefit of such Society, as such Society, by
such rules, orders, or regulations, shall direct; and also
from time to time to alter and 'amend such rules, or-
ders, and re.ealations,• as' occasion shall require, or to
annul and r epeal the same, and to make new rules, or-
ders, and regulations, in lieu thereof, under such te-
ettictions as are in this Act contained." The Act also
provided, that no Society should' be deemed to' be
within the meaning of the Act, until the Rules had
been exhibited to the .rnstices in Quarter Sessions ; and
the Justices were to allow and confirm those rules only
eltich should be " conformable to the true intent and
imeanine of the Act."
The Iltile4 so confirmed, were not to he afterwards
alteree, otherwise than by three-fourths of the members
present at a general meeting, or by three fourths of a
Committee, if one should have been appointed fie- the
management of the Society's concerns.
Societies were empowered to appoint treasurers and
other officers.
The Act also requited every Society, previously to
the enrolment of its rules, " to declare (in one or more
of them), all and every the intents and purposes for
which such Society is intended to be established ;" and
direct all and every tire uses and purposes to which the
money which shall from time to tiele be subscribed,
paid or given for the use or benefit of such society, or
which shall arise therefrom, or in anywise belonging to
the same, shall be appropriated and applied; and in
what shares or proportions, or under what circum-
stances, any member of such society or other person
shll or may become entitled to the same, or any part
thereof." And the societies were empowered to inflict
penalties for any diversion or misapplica..ion of
the funds.
It was also declared unlawful " to dissolve or deter-
mine any such society, so long as the intents or pur-
poses declared by such society or any of them, remain
to be carried into effect, without the consent and ap
probation of five-sixths of the then existing members of
,such society ; and also of all persons then receiving, or
then entitled to receive relief from such society, carer
on account of sickness, age, or infirmity, to be te,tifiei
under their hands individually and respectively ;" aed
it was further made unlawful for ,4 such society, by any
rule, order, or regulation, to direct the division or dis-
tribution of such stock or fund, or any part thereof,
to or amongst the several membt rs of such society,
other than for carrying into effect the general intents
and purposes declared by them."
These are all the provisions of the Act of 1793, which
consist of Restrictions imposed upon Fetendly S
the Act at the same time conferred upon these institu-
tioas certain privileges and irnmueit es. And your
Committee take this opportunity of observing, that it is,
la their opinion, only in consideration of these advan-
tages conferred by the law, that any restrictive inter-
ference can be justified with voluntary assoc ations, esta-
blished for lawful and innocent purposes. They wish
this principle to be kept in view, in considering as well
the history of the law, as the sugge,tions which they
shall make for amending it.
It is true, that the restrictions which the Act imposes,
are, without exception, calculated for the benefit and
security of individuals; nevertheless it is for the indi-
viduals themselves to determine, whether to adopt the
provisions of the Statute, which offers them at• the
seine time regulation and privilege ; or to remain per-
fectly unfettered by anything but their own will, and
the common or more aneigot iaw against fraud or em-
bezzlement. For, your Committee apprehend, that al-
though the Act of 1793 appears to begin by reneeriqg
lawful the institution Of Friendly Stkietres, there neither
we's et that time, nor is now, any law or statute which
derives the King's subjects Of the right of ..associating
themselves for mutual support. -

in tfis kingdom, for the purpose of relieving, by vplun-
tary subhciiieions and benefactions, widows, orphans,
and familiesof the Clergy, and nthers in distressed cir-
cumstances:" and t• at e such institutions have, or may
have funds, which they may wish to place out on pub-
lic securities, under the management of a treasuier :"
and that in order to-give stability to such institutions,
it is necessa-y that their property should be secured
under the authority of Pat liament ;" and extended to
institutions of tliis description the provisions of the
Act of 1793.
An Act of 1803 r merely provided that societies who
had registered their iules at the Sessions of places having
peculiar jurisdiction, should be allowed to register them
at the Quarter Sessions of the County, Shire, or Division ;
the registration in the Count of Peculiar Julisdiction
not being deemed sufficient under the Act.
In 1809 another Act was passed, reciting that" great
advantage has been derived, as well to the public as in-
dividuals, by the establishment of Friendly Societies"
under the Act of 1793; and proceeded to make further
provision for applying the summary remedy alloeed
by the former Act, by requiring that the Justices order
for paying money should specify the time and manner
of payment; and or other legal modes specified in
the Act.
In 1817 the provisions of former Acts, for the relief
of persons veritably entitled to public funds, &c. wee
extended to Friendly Societies petitioning a Court of
'Equity for summary relief.
Another Act et 1817, not specially intended for the
'benefit of Friendly Soc'e.ies, conferred upon them the
most valuable privilege which th y now possess. This
WAS the Savings' Banks Act,; which at the same time
that it gave to those itastituti,ins the privilege of
receiving, for all money in the Rank of England, Go-
vernment Debentures bearing an interest of threepence
per day, allowed Friendly Societies so deposit their
funds in any Savings' Ba..k, and thus to derive the be-
nefit of the high interest secured by the Government
Debentuses.
Your Committee now come to the Act of 1819, "fcr
the further protectien and encouragement of Friendly
Societies, and for preventing frauds and abuses therein."
This new law made several important provisions re-
specting Friendly Societies. It is to the operation of
these provisions th4t the attention of your Committee
has been principally directed. They propose to state
the origin of the Act; and in going through its several
enactments, t 4 explain the present state of the law, and
their view of the amendment which it still requires.
Between 1793 and 1819, a great number of Friendly
Societies had been instituted. In 1802, aofewer than
9,672 appear to have-been returned to Parliament; and
in 1815, the Members of Friendly Sociesiis were enu-
as- rated at 925,429. Your Committee have no doubt
but that, during this -period, a very considerable relief
was afforded to pari,hes, and much additional comfort
derived by individuils ; bust the system was neverthe-
less assuredly defective in some points, and is supposed
to have conduced to so tie purposes foreign to the ob-
jects of its formation.
The first and chief defect in the law, as intended for
the protection of the people, was the want of sufficient
security against error, in the original constitution of
societies. The rules of every society were to be sanc-
tioned by the Justices at Quarter Sessions, who had the
power of rejecting such as should appear to be not con-
tormable to the true intent of the Act ot-1793. Every
society which professed to provide for sickness or old
age, and declared no unlawful purpose, was necessarily
admitted. An examination of the adequacy of the
means by which tie professed objects were to be ac-
complished, was not declared by the Act to be, and
certainly did not become in practice, a part of the duty
of the Magistrates. It is believed, that throughout the
country the Justices acted ministerially, taking. the
mord of the Counsel employed to move for the registra-
tion of the articles, that nothing 'mho ful was contained
in them. Indeed, except by reference to the tables of
Dr. Price, which, though originally calculated at the
desire of a Committee of this House, had received no
parliamentary sanction; and had not been confi:med by
experience, neither Counsel nor Justices had the means
of judging of the sufficiency of the payments requited:
nd the tables did not extend to the cases of widows or
'children of deeeiied.members, though these Were cases
contemplated by the law. •
Another material defect was found, in the provision
made against a fraudu!ent or inequitable disposition
the Itinds,-or dissolution of the society. The Act
cpiired, that no society .should be dissolved without