Benefit or Friendly Societies. 129 



office-bearer, or other person entrusted with their funds, dying or 

 becoming bankrupt, the claim of the society is preferable to all 

 other debts ; all disputes between their members or representa- 

 tives, and the society, are determinable by the Justices without 

 appeal ; but if their regulations appoint these matters to be set- 

 tled by arbitration, the decision of the arbiters is declared to be 

 final ; no fees whatever are exigible by the officers of the Jus- 

 tices for the enrolment of their regulations ; and their cases are 

 to be decided in a summary manner. 



By these acts it is also declared, that the usual committee of 

 management must not consist of less than eleven in number, 

 and that the books shall be at all times open for the inspection of 

 members,— that no rule or regulation once confirmed can be af- 

 terwards altered, nor any new regulation adopted, but by a ge- 

 neral meeting of the members of such society, or by a commit- 

 tee specially appointed for that purpose, convened by pubUc no- 

 tice in writing by the Secretary — that the proposed alterations 

 or additions shall have been read at the two usual meetings of the 

 society or committee previous to calling said general or com- 

 mittee meetings, — that three-fourths of the members then pre- 

 sent shall have agreed to the measure^ and that such altera- 

 tions or additions be finally submitted to the Justices for their 

 approval as before. Lastly, it is declared, that no society can 

 be dissolved, or its funds diverted from their original purposes, 

 without the concurrence oi five-sixths of its whole members, as 

 well as with the consent of all those receiving, or entitled to re- 

 ceive, aid from its funds at the time. 



Such are the more important enactments previous to the year 

 1819, when Mr Courtenay introduced a bill for supplying a 

 most material defect in all the previous statutes. This was the 

 want of sufficient security against error in the original constitu- 

 tion of their schemes, in adapting the contributions and benefits 

 to each other. Previously the rules of every society, which mere- 

 ly professed to provide for sickness or old age, and were directed 

 to no unlawful purposes, fell necessarily to be sanctioned ; but by 

 this latter statute it was also required, that the " tables and 

 rules are such as have been approved by two persons at the 

 least, known to be professional actuaries, or persons skilled in 

 calculation, as fit and proper according to the most correct cal- 



APRIL JUNE 1827. I 



