182C).] [ 585 ] 



REMAKKS ON FKIENDLY SOCIETIES. — Con(ifl»€(l. 



Who are the persons that receive relief under the poor laws ? The 

 agriculturists, mechanics, reduced tradesmen, fishermen, and labourers 

 in various vocations, form by far the greatest numbers. It has been 

 affirmed, and with some truth, that the agriculturist's wages are insuf- 

 ficient to supply a family with food and raiment, and therefore that he 

 cannot become a subscriber to a society for mutual support. In some 

 districts the wages of labour are disgracefully low, and as the deficiency 

 is too often made up by overseers from the parish-rates, the magistrates are 

 called on to increase their vigilance and bring the delinquents to merit- 

 ed punishment. Every agricultural labourer who is, as he should be, 

 fairly remunerated for his work, is able to take one 'penny from his daily 

 pittance to accumulate as a resource against dependence and poverty in 

 the days of adversity and sickness. Suppose this man to be twenty years 

 of age, one penny a-day would ensure him in the County Benefit Society 

 — Twelve shillingx a-voeck during sickness, with medicine and medical at- 

 tendance, six shillings a-tvee/c during the period that he is progressively 

 advancing to health ; a weekly allowance of seven shillings after the age of 

 sixty-five, and the power oj' leaving twelve pounds by his will to be paid 

 by the Society to the person to whom he devises it. The mechanic is better 

 able to secure these great advantages than the agriculturist, because the 

 average amount of wages to this class is greater. There are too often 

 instances of bitter distress among the manufacturers, to permit as positive 

 an observation on their capability ; at the same time, it must be owned, 

 that the manufacturers are known to be improvident in the times of pros- 

 perity ; and it is ascertained that very few accumulate a sufficient sum 

 during their youth to support them after they are too infirm to labour. 

 The earnings of fishermen are precarious ; yet, unless we are mis- 

 taken, their profits are much greater than those of the agriculturists. 

 Small traders, servants, and general labourers, are all, for the most part, 

 able to ensure their comfort and independence by entering these societies, 

 and therefore should be urged to do so, not only from motives of bene- 

 volence, but on the principle of public good. The agriculturist is, on 

 the whole, less able to diminish his weekly pittance for this purpose than 

 any other labourer ; yet we find, from the evidence of the Reverend 

 Thomas Becher, who, like Mr. Fleming, has nobly wrought in this ex- 

 tensive field for the exercise of philanthropy, that this class, the least 

 able to spare anything from their earnings, constitutes a great proportion 

 of the members of the society founded bj^ that exemplary divine aided 

 by Admiral Southeron. If " chiefly labourers in husbandry " constitute 

 one of the few sound and best regulated societies in England, every other 

 class of the working portion of the people is able to secure themselves 

 against the degradation of parish relief. 



We have said that the establishment of these Friendly Societies must 

 eventually diminish the Poor Rate, and so improve the temporal and 

 moral condition of the lower classes. If any man is inclined to doubt 

 that such would be the effect, let the following facts from the evidence 

 of Mr. Becher for ever remove his doubts. " In reducing the poor-rates 

 of Southwell, it will be found from the statement presented, that the nett 

 cost of maintaining the poor in 1821, was £2,010 ; in 1822, £1,421 ; in 

 1823, £589; and in 1824, £517 ; and I have reason to believe that the 

 M.M. New Series— Vol. I. No. 6. 4 F 



