Benefit or Friendly Societies. 147 



one at 65, and one at 05, the average aye of each of these five members will 

 then be 45, but their average sickness will be much more than if each of them 

 had been in reality 45 years of age. Thus, the average sickness of a member 

 at 25 years of age, is 4 days 3 hours ; of one at 35, 4 days 19 hours ; of one at 

 45, 1 week 4 hours; of one at 55, 1 week 6 days 3 hours ; and of one at 65, 5 

 weeks 4 days 10 hours, being in all 9 weeks 6 days 1 hour; which being di- 

 vided among these five members, give to each 1 week 2 days C hours, while 

 the average sickness to a member at 45 years of age is only 1 week 4 hours, 

 or about one-third less. This will shew how the sickness and claims against 

 a society may increase, although the average age of the members, when taken 

 as a whole, may continue nearly the same for a long series of years. 



It may only farther be remarked, with regard to fines and payments in ar- 

 rear, and calculated on above as stock, that such debts are really as beneficial 

 and secure as if the money were actually in the society's possession ; for they 

 must be either all paid within a limited time, and that, too, in general, with 

 high interest in the shape of additional fines, or forfeiture of the whole pre- 

 vious payments is incurred. These debts are therefore equal to the same sum 

 in possession, and as they will always form a considerable part of a society's 

 capital, the strictest attention would require to be paid to the book-keeping. 

 Indeed, it will be now obvious, from what has been stated, that this is at any 

 rate indispensable, for no Friendly Society can ultimately succeed whose books 

 do not afford means of ascertaining the amount of the engagements to the 

 members by the society, and its ability or inability to meet them. For many 

 suggestions in this department, as well as for much useful information on other 

 matters connected with Health and Life Assurance, we have been indebted to 

 Mr James Cleghorn, accountant in Edinburgh, whose practical acquaint- 

 ance with all that relates to such subjects has been likewise of the greatest 

 service to several societies lately established. 



But highly important as proper books and periodical investigations are for 

 securing the permanency of societies and the due fulfilment of their obliga- 

 tions, such books and investigations are no less important in another point of 

 view. By their means members will be always made aware of their real inte- 

 rest at any age in the capital, and will thus often be prevented from allowing 

 themselves to fall into arrear in their contributions, and be expelled for 

 non-payment, which might have otherwise been the case, had they not known 

 the value of the right they were sacrificing. And here we must take notice 

 of what is considered a most oppressive measure, which has of late been exten- 

 sively resorted to by societies against forfeited members, and sanctioned by 

 the Inferior judicatories, — we mean prosecution for arrears. In order to en&*. 

 ble the reader to form a proper conception of this matter, it will be necessary 

 to give, first, a brief summary of some proceedings which have lately taken 

 place ; and then to state what is conceived to be the real merits of the 

 question. 



Proceedings of the Justices of the Peace in the cases of Forfeited 



Members of Friendly Societies. 

 A few months ago there appeared in the newspapers the report of a suit 

 raised by a Friendly Society at Ellon, in the county of Aberdeen, against 



K 2 



