792 =526 TJie Agricultural Labourer. 
good Benefit 
Clubs. 
Old Public- 
house Clubs 
the favourites 
.if the la- 
bourers. 
of these larger clubs to secure a decent sum in sickness and 
Scale ef fees of old age. A payment of about Is. 8ff. a month, in the case o 
man joining at twenty-five years of age, will generally seci 
a sum of 10s. a week in case of sickness or bodily injury, a 
8Z. paid at death for burial expenses. For the additioi 
sum of lOrf. a month (making 2s. 6(Z. in all) he could, in ad 
tion to this, obtain old-age pay of 5s. a week, commencing 
seventy. 
It is, however, useless to deny that the great benefits, afford 
by such societies as these, are, as a rule, neglected by far 
labourers, who too frequently prefer (in view of the mont' 
meetings and carousals connected with such places) either 
join the badly -organised Public- house Clubs, which ha 
brought such discredit on these institutions, or have refused, 
attach themselves to any Benefit Society or to make any simij 
effort to free themselves in sickness and old age from the refi 
of the poor-rate ; and I am afraid I must add that much of 
blame tor this state of things rests upon the local misman- 
ment of the public funds which makes possible such anom 
as I have described. The rising generation, then, is for 
most part growing up without much attempt to provide for 
future ; but the large support accorded by agricultural labou" 
in days when their earnings were very much less than at pres" 
to hundreds of the more worthless of these societies, pro 
that this is due more to want of will and lack of encour 
ment to provide for their own future, than to absolute deficie 
of resources ; and it has now become necessary to devise soi 
more secure means whereby habits of economv and independer 
may be encouraged. 
Savings-banks seem to afford some hope of success in 
direction, and this means of providing against a rainy day 
fast growing in favour with the working classes at large, 
is proved by the vast increase in the amount invested at 1 
present time compared with that of a few years since ;* 1 
practically it is found that with the majority of farm-work 
unless a thing of this kind is brought home to their dd 
and its benefits thrust upon them by some zealous friei 
it remains, so far as they are concerned, a dead letter, 
is true that the clergy of various parishes and other frienc 
workers among the poor have, in some cases, succeeded 
inculcating in early childhood habits of providence and fo 
thought : but these are rare exceptions. Some excuse may h; 
been afforded by the past low rates of wages ; but if (as is ' 
• lu 1863 the Po8t-Office Savings-bank had 3,131,5.S5i. invested. In 1 
this sum had risen to 23,740,389?. ; and the other English Savings-banks hai 
the latter date 42,400,000?. 
