304 Mr W. Fraser on the History and Constitution of 



By the above table, then, an entrant at the age of 29, for a weekly sick al- 

 lowance of 1 Os. from ihat age till completing his 70th year, will require to 

 pay either an annual contribution of 12s. 4 id. during the same period, if he live 

 so long, or a single payment of L. 10 : 8 : 10^ at entry, to supersede all future 

 contributions ; — for an annuity of L. 10 during life after 70, either an annual 

 contribution of 5s. 6d. till 70, or a single payment of L. 4 : 12 : 11 ; and for L. 10 

 at death, either an annual contribution of 4s. Id. till 70, or a single payment 

 of L. 3 : 9 : Of. Thus all the contributions are to cease at 70, and each member 

 is supposed to become free (i. e. entitled to benefit, in the event of sickness or 

 death) immediately upon entry ; but numerous rules and problems are given in 

 the Report, by which societies may determine — the rates of contributions or al- 

 lowances, should members not become free until after a certain number of years 

 — the effects of varying the rates of allowances according to the intensity or 

 duration of sickness — the mode of ascertaining the stock which any society 

 ought to be possessed of, in order to fulfil all its engagements, — and, in short, 

 every requisite information is afforded for the proper management of Friendly 

 Societies. For all these details, however, we must refer to the Report it- 

 self. 



The tables which may next be considered, are those constructed by the 

 Reverend John Thomas Becher, of Southwell in Nottinghamshire. This 

 gentleman has, of late years, devoted much time and attention to the im- 

 provement of Friendly Societies, and was the founder of the Southwell So- 

 ciety in 1823. In his calculations, he adopted, as formerly remarked, rather 

 a higher rate of sickness than that which had been assumed by Dr Price — 

 the Northampton rate of mortality — 4 per cent, interest on payments for allow- 

 ances during sickness and old age— and 3 per cent, on those for allowances at 

 death. The contributions in his tables were therefore higher than in those 

 of the Highland Society. The following statement by Mr Becher will shew 

 the difference between the two, upon the annual contributions payable by 

 twenty-five persons, from the 21st to the 45th years of age. 



Ages from 21 to 45 Years, 

 both inclusive. 



Allowance of 

 10s. Weekly 

 Bed-lying Pay 

 and 6s. Walk- 

 Pay in 

 Sickness. 



'1 



Anniial 

 Contribution. 



Annuity 



of 5s. Weekly 



after 70. 



Annual 

 Contribution. 



Assurance 



of L. 10 on 



Death. 



Annual 

 Contribution. 



TotaL 



Annual 

 Contribution. 



Southwell Tables, 

 Scotch Tables, . 



19 



13 9 114 



^e s. d. 



17 15 3 

 13 34 



£, s. d. 

 9 



5 19 104 



£ s. d. 

 46 4 



32 10 14 



Excess of Southwell Tables, 



5 18 94 



4 14 114 



3 14 



13 13 104 



Note by Mr Becher. " The Scotch Tables give the Annual Contributions for a permanent 



Allowance in Sickness, without reference to Bed-lying Pay, or Walking Pay, which must be ad- 

 justed according to circumstances. Therefore I have here taken the contributions according to the 

 Scotch Tables, for ^s. 6d. weekly permanent pay in sickness, of every denommation ; assuming for 

 our present purpose, that this equals a weekly allowance of 10s. Bed-lying pay, and 5s. Walking 

 pay, being the medium between these two last mentioned allowances; or, in other words, that the 

 periods of sickness entitling a membn to Bed-lying pay and to Walking pay, correspond with each 



