March 16, 1912 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



227 



drawals they are furnished with a ready 

 means for the paympnt of their subscriptions, 

 which is a great boon. One member with- 

 drew M 12s. 8d. under this rule; and an- 

 other member who had reached the age of 

 ;?eTenty years, by virtue of par. 4 of the same 

 rule, withdrew £4^2 8s. 9d. from his balance 

 account. 



The repeated suggestions to the effect that 

 members who are recovering from an illness 

 should take advantage of the provisions of 

 the convalescent fund, have been better acted 

 upon in 1911 than in some previous years. 

 The amount of assistance from this fund was 

 jfelO. being 18s. more than the subscriptions. 

 X. N. Sherwood, Esq., founder of this fund, 

 contributed five guineas as usual. 



Acting upon the advice contained in the 

 quinquennial actuarial report, published last 

 year, the committee discussed at several of 

 its earlier monthly meetings the question of 

 making a uniform allowance of 5s. to those 

 of its necessitous members who are over 

 .seventy years of age. At the July meeting a 

 proposition on this matter was passed to 

 take effect as from January 1, 1912. Sub- 

 scriptions to the benevolent fund amounted 

 to i;220 17s., and the payments therefrom to 

 J-9i) lis. 6d. 



The strictest economy, consistent with the 

 proper working of the society, has been ob- 

 served. The total management charges 

 amounted to £222 7s. 6d., as against ^222 

 9s. 7d. in 1910; and i^l95 lis. lOd. in 1909. 



During tlie year the sum of =£2,7(X) has been 

 invested by the trustees, who have purchased 

 the following: £b(X} L.C.C. 3 per cent, for 

 1-429 8s. 6d. ; £700 L.C.C. 3 per cent, for ^591 

 12s.; i;40(J Newport Corporation 3 per cent, 

 for £334 Is. ; £300 L.C.C. 3^ per cent, for 

 £298 18s. 6d.; and £800 Middlesex County 

 3^ l^er cent, for £772 2s., the total sum being 

 £2,426 2s. 



Two members of committee were deputed 

 to watch carefully the proceedings in Parlia- 

 ment in connection with the new Act of State 

 Insurance— the National Health Act. Tlie 

 committee discussed the problems that were 

 raised in regard to this enactment at each 

 of its monthly meetings, and nothing was left 

 undone to safeguard the interest of the mem- 

 bers of this society. Efforts were made to 

 interview the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 

 and eventually a conference was agreed to 

 l>etween a deputation from your committee 

 and a representative of the Chancellor. Your 

 committee has also endeavoured to obtain an 

 audience of the Commissioners who have been 

 appointed to administer the .Act, but has 

 i^een unsuccessful, llie Commissioners, how- 

 ever, have furnished information as to the 

 interpretation of the clauses and provisions 

 of the Act. In a measure such as this, of a 

 niaracter at once so far-reaching, complex, 

 and novel, its application and bearing upon 

 *»ur particular societv, and the relation of 

 ^^nr society to it, has provided a problem that 

 ''a> had to be considered discreetlv, with 

 c aution, and without haste. Special meetings 

 Jiave been held to discuss the Act, and the 

 ie>u t has been that the committee looks for- 

 ward most hopefully to the prospect of this 

 society Incoming approved; within the mean- 

 1'!^ of the Act. The meml>ers have been m- 

 ^ Uod, by circular letter, to state their posi- 

 tf^ii and opinion in reference to the Act. In 

 '^'>i<;lnMun, the committee relies upon the full 

 ['^"Mence and support of all the members 

 the serious work with which it is now 

 T,ntronted, and in which it is engaged. It 

 "jay he necessary also to exercise the virtue 

 2 patience; but the outlook of this societv, 

 'ii^^er tlie new law, appears promising. 



In short, the society provides for sickness, 

 makes provision for chronic illness, renders 

 u'ifi \ distressed, credits each member 

 1,01. "".^ proportion of the surplus funds, 

 r ^^le convalescent and cares for the 

 ^^^'•le and aged. Every meml>er should act 



ZLT'^''''''^ ^^^^ty continuallv 



each the gospel of thrift and self-help with 



^ 'iK?A+ ^^'^'^f^ "^^"^ members. Tlie financial 

 amiity of the society is beyond question, 



•'^ It ha,s now ^41,5fX> invested 



ui conelusion, the committee begs on^ 

 to acknowledge the kindness of tho: 



ways, assist the society and help to extend 

 its usefulness and snhere of influence. 



members 



once 

 e 



or in other 



TRKASURER'S STATEMENT. 



Dr. UECEIPTS. 

 11)11. 31ar<;h 9th. 

 To Balance- brought forward £31)0 

 T ra.ii.s f r r L d from Secretary 



. d. 



3 1 

 2 9 



1911-12. To Subscriptions, etc., 



per Secretary— 

 Benefit Fund £2,2I>5 17 



401 5 1L» 



Benevolo'Ut Fujid 



Convai-ekscon t Fu nd ... 

 ilanagenient Fund 

 Ad ve r t iisenie n t and 



Dinner Aoiiount 



Dividends on Invci^t- 



ments 



Banjk Interest 



Income Tax Returin?d ... 



9 



3 



-7 



0 

 6 

 0 



160 11 11 



11 6 0 



1.1G2 3 

 3 18 

 (Jti 10 



0 

 6 



1,232 U 1 



±■4.243 0 4 



222 r 



Cr. EXPENDITl'UK. 

 1911-12. March Otli. 



By Raym€-nt« per Secretary- 

 Sick Pa.y to Member^ 507 12 



^la.na^enient Expemses and Saiar\ 

 Payment's to Nominees 



of Deceased :Mve-mber*; £248 12 

 Laicised Meniber\s Ac- 



<Knints paid out 



Withdrawals from De- 

 posit Accounts — 



M-embens over 70 



Inteireist Withdrawn ... 



6. d. 



0 



Grants from Ben(^vo- 

 3-ent Fund 



Grants from Conva- 

 lescent Fund 



Advertisement Espenee* 

 Invecvtmcnts .. '2 



Balance due from Secrct-ary 

 Balance at Bank — 



On Dei^oisit Acco^int ... 

 Current Account ... 

 In hands of Trea*surer ... 



40 19 



4 





9 



91 9 



6 



!)0 11 



6 



10 0 



0 



0 3 



9 



.42G 2 



0 





200 0 



0 



302 13 



3 



15 6 



0 



466 9 11 



2.526 17 3 

 1 14 3 



517 19 5 



£•4.243 0 4 



Tlie Chairman moved the adoption of the 

 report and financial statement, and took op- 

 portunity to review the year's work, 

 paid special attention to the subject of the 

 National Health Act, and ix)inted out that 

 90 i3er cent, of the membeiv would come 

 under the Act and the rest be exempt from 

 it. He said that, in the event of the majority 

 of members agreeing- to approval under the 

 Act, there would l3c two sections of the 

 society, one as now, and one under the pro- 

 vitvions of the Act. He outlined in l^ief the 

 scheme the committee had in mind, and sug- 

 gested that in future a member "under the 

 Act" w^ould, on payment of lOd. per week, 

 instead of 9d., obtain -the full benefits 

 obtainable under the Act, plus a sum of 46. 

 per week and other benefits the society was 

 now able to provide. He suggested that 

 there would be- a sliding .scale of contribu- 

 tions and benefits on the ordinary or volun- 

 tary side, &o that a meml^er on the " insured" 

 side might elect to pay what he felt he could 

 afford, plus what he would be compelled to 

 contribute under the Act, and, remember- 

 ing the excellent health record of gar- 

 deners, and the satisfactory progres<s of the 

 society in the past, he said the committee 

 hoped to make the society a most attractive 

 one for young gardeners. The Chairman 

 }x>inted out that the society need not asso- 

 ciate or amalgamate witli another society or 

 societies until three years after the enforce- 

 ment of the Act, and also emphasised the 

 point that the committee would <io nothing 

 to commit the meml>erc^ until everyone had 

 had an opportunity of considering the 

 scheme now in progress of formation. 



Mr. Burge formally seconded the motion. 

 Mr. Summers said he understood all em- 

 ployed in the manual work of gardening, no 

 matter what their income, would have to 

 contribute to the state scheme. He stated 

 that there was a proposal on foot in the 

 Lea Valley to form a society among those 

 employed in the nurseries and market gar- 

 dens of the district, for the purpose of ad- 

 ministering the Act; a meeting was held 

 recently, at which he was present ; he gave 

 the lecturer (sent by the Insurance Com- 

 missioners) a copy of the U.H.B.P.S. rei>ort. 

 This report evidently came as a surpriise to 



the lecturer, who knew nothing of the society, 

 but who appeared to be so favourably im- 

 pressed by the working of it that he sug- 

 getsted the Lea Valley gardeners should meet 

 and consider the advisability of joining up 

 with the U.H.B.P.S. instead of forming a 

 separate society. Mr. Summers* statement 

 created great interest. He said a communi- 

 cation would, he believed, come from the 

 Lea Valley men, and he expressed a hope that 

 the Chairman of the United " would be able 

 to come down, with other members of the 

 committee, and endeavour to draw into the 

 society many hundreds of new members. 



Mr. Edwards, Mr. Hill, Mr. Gumbrell, Mr. 

 Frogbrook. Mr. Winter, Mr, Wilson, and 

 otliers spoke on thiis matter. Mr. Frogbrook 

 held somewhat pessimistic views, and, feel- 

 ing Jie was not in accord w ith the committee, 

 he w^as resigning his seat thereon; he made 

 certain statements relative to the future of 



caused bv Mr. Froofhrook's retirement 



the society, ba<>ed on statements made to 

 him by the member of Parliament for the 

 I^yton division. The Chairman asked for 

 refei^ences to any part of the Act, or memo- 

 randa, on whicli these statements could l>e 

 founded, and requested Mr. Frogbrook to be 

 kind enough to furnish the committee with 

 them, llie motion w^as then put and carried, 

 Messrs. A. C. Hill, T. Winter, and E. F. 

 Hawses were re-elected members of com- 

 mittee. Mr. Creswell fills the vacancy 



; and 



Mr. Campbell, Roehampton, was elected to 

 the seat Mr. Woods vacates under the age 

 limit. Votes of thanks were accorded the 

 trustees, Messrs. Hudson, Scott, and Curtis, 

 and to the treasurer, Mr. W. P. Thomson. 

 Mr. W. Collins wa«i congratulated on the 

 completion of 25 years' service, and re-elected 

 secretary. The Press w^as thanked for ser- 

 vices BO kindly I'cndered, and a vote of 

 thanks to the chairman brought the meeting 

 to a close about 10 p.m. Besides those men- 

 tioned, Messrs. Hawes, J . Wheeler, W, 

 AVesker, and Shelton took part in the ani- 

 mated but pleasantly conducted proceedings. 



SWEET PEA PERFECTION. 



W'hen growing Sweet Peac, grow only the bfst. To 

 obtain the very best, send direct to ECKFORD for 

 your Seeds; bat remember they are only genuine 

 when obtained direct from Wem. Kckford's are the 

 lar^jest retaileisof Sweet Peas in the world, and do 



not supply the trade, 



£1,000 in CASH PRIZES Riven away. Send a 



postcard for particulars. 



SPECIAL COLLECTIONS FOR 1912. 



Exhibitors' 

 (E) Collection, 



24 giant waved varieties, 

 new and up-to-date, fine 

 ior exhibition, 10 .seeds of 

 each, 58. 6d., post free 

 cash with or(1er. 



Villa (0. Collection. 



12 splendid varieties,suit- 

 able for exhibition, 50 

 seedsof each, 2s.0d. post 

 free, cash with order. 



Villa (B) Collection. 



24 splendid varieties,suit- 

 able for exhibition, 50 

 seeds of each, 58.6d. post 

 free, cash with order. 



Exhibitors* 

 (0) Collection. 



12 giant waved varieties, 

 new and up-to-date; fine 

 for exhibition, ro seeds 

 of each, 28 9d. post 

 frt^e. cash with order. 



Half-Villa 

 (B; Collection. 



25 splendid varieties, 

 suitable for exhibition, 

 25 seed-, of each, 3s. post 

 free, ca^h with ordf^r. 



Villa (E) Collection. 



12 Splendid varieties, 

 suitable for exhibition, 25 



seer" s of each. Is. 6d. post 

 free, cash with order. 



A specialty ivritten hook ct on Siveet Pea Grooving 

 given ivitk cilery order. Send to H^EM to ensure 



satisfaction^ 

 Send a postcard to day tor large illus- 

 trated and coloured Catalogue. It 

 gives full particidars of all novelties in Sweet Peas 

 for 1912, also coniplete particulars of the £1000 

 offered in Prizes for growers of Eckford*s Sweet 

 Peas, and contains full list of al! Flower and 



Vegetable Seeds. 



HENRY ECKFORD, F.R.H.8., 



(Dept. 221) WEM, SHROPSHIRE. 



