Star.
London, England, 1825-09-14 00:00:00

the expense of maintaining the sick and aged .poor of
the parish, and, the amount of the accumulated deposits
of those sick and aged persons only : whereas, if the
people contribute to a common fund, the parish will
have to supply the difference between the expense and
the accumulated contributions of all the people ; which
difference, if the Society be well constituted, win be
nothing.
Your Committee are very anxious that in thus com-
paring, as they feel bound, Saving Banks with Friendly
Societies, they should not be understood to depreciate
the former; all they insist upon is, that for the particu-
lar purposes to which Friendly Societies are applici,
ble, Saving Banks are entirely inefficient, and that
those purposes are highly beneficial to the people arid
the State. It follows. that Saving Banks ought not to
supersede Friendly Societies; but it does not follow
(it is on the other hand a consequence which your Com-
mittee would greatly deprecate) that Saving Bank;
should be superseded by Friendly Societies. There
are objects which must be effected by individual de.
ptoits, and by them only : and in discrihing, as 'a loss
sustained by a parish, the surplus enjoted by a healthy
depositor, your Committee confine themselves entirely
to the mater of calculation ; being fully sensible of the
Many great advantages to be derived to the commu-
nity, not only from the example of successful indtistry
and individual prudence which that depositor may it-
ford, but from the existence of a man who hai, by la-
bour and frugality, rased hiMself above his class. And
in recommending Friendly Societies, your Committee
confine themselves to such as are formed uaon the
sound and safe principles explained in this Report.
The Committee are not aware of any instance in
which a Saving Bank and a Friendly. Society havebeen
united in one Institution. They are of opinion, that
such combination may be very useful, and that, if any
alteration is necessary in the law for that purpose, it
ought to be made.
This being, as your Committee have reason to be-
lieve, the view of the utility of institutions upon the
principal of mutual assurance, upon which the framers .
of the Act of 1819 proceeded, one of their first en-
deavours was to define the objects to which such insti-
tutions should be applied, These are " the mainte-
.natice or assistance of the contributors thereto • their
wives or children, in s'ckness, infancy, advanced age,
widowhood, or any other natural state or contingency
whereof the occurrence is susceptible of calculation by
way of average." This description appears to include
every case which can properly be made the object of a
Friendly Society.
Your Committee are informed, that some Societies
have been enrolled under the Act, in which a provision
is made for a certain or contingent benefit to the
founders or shareholders of the institution. Your Cons-
mittee have much doubt, whether 'such societies are to
be considered as " providing by contribution on the
principal of mutual insurance," for the objects speci-
fied'; and, therefore. whether they can be legally ea-
rolled under the Act.
When the latest amendmeht of the Saving Banks
"Acts was under consideration, a question arose, whether
it woofd.not be proper so limit the amount of deben-
tures which Any one society might draw ? Your Com-
mittee deprecate any such limitation, because it would
tend to discourage those large and provincial societies
wh:ch they are particularly desirous to recommeail ;
the limitation ought, in their opinion, to be applied,
not to the aggregate amount, bet to the inflount of the
payment which any one member may make, in order
that the pecuniary benefit afforded by the law. may bin
confined to " poor persons," making " smallikvings.".
The first enactment of the Act was intender! to en-
gage the more particular attention of the Magistrate,
in Quarter Session:, in its administration; aultn point
their attention to same material objects of inquire.:. In
the first place, their approval is to be asked, not of the
rules only, but of the tables of payments and allowances
to be adopted in the society. These were doubtless
included under the general words of former Acts ; but
the present expression is calculated to remind the
Justices, that the proportion between the payments and
the attendant benefits, is an essential point in every plan
which they are required to consider.
The Act provides, that the duties which it prescrihel
to the Justice, may be performed either by the bench
collectively, or by any committee of not fewer than thre •
Justices. Your Committee are decidedly of opinion,
that this reference to a committee, will, in almost all
cases, be the more advisable course ; because the Justices
in a body, can hardly be expected to give minute at-
tention to each project ; and it is probable, that in every
.county this e or four Justices will be found, who are
more familiarly acquainted with the system and its
principles.
The bench, or committee, are to satisfy themselves,
that the contingencies for which it is iirer..ded to pro-
vide, whether specifically named inthis Act or not, are
such as according to the true intent and meaning oldie
Act, are fit to be provided for in the mode proposed.
Your Committee have reason -to believe thin due at-
tention has not always been paid to this direction of
the law, and that rules have been admitted, whereby as
allowance has been promised to persons confined under
certain circumstances for debt; your Committee have
no hesitation in pronouncing, that all tusks of this sort,
referring to contingencies which are certainly not
66 natural," are absolutely beyond the operation of the
Act, and ought in no case to be allowed.
In proceeding to requ re, mote generally, that the
Justices must, before admitting the rules, be satisfied
that they are (6 fit and proper ;" the same section states,
that the rules may be approved, either in the form ilt
swuhcihchouthrssions,y shall have been originally exhibited, or with
additions, or alterations as may be made
therein by the Juttices, with the consent of the pirsOns
proposing to be trustees of the society.
The former Act appears, according to its obvious
oeastruction, to have given to the Magistra es the power
of altering the rules tendered to them for envulmeat ;
and enrolling them se Aimed, whether the alterations
were acceptable or not. The present Act Sequins the
concurrence of the trotters ; it these, who act on the
part of she society, are willing to freer) the benefit of
the Act, rather than submit to the regulations a hith
the Justices think reasonable or necessary, they are at
liberty so withdraw their application, and to promeal

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