184 Friendly Societies, State Action, and the Poor-law. 
might avail themselves cf the same at a cost not exceeding the amount now 
expended by them in unsound and uncertified Benefit Societies. 
That your Memorialists therefore respectfully urge on your attention ; 
(1.) That the provisions of the 27th & 28th Vict. cap. 43 should be extended 
in such a manner as to offer to industrious labourers insurances suited to 
their requirements under the supervision of Government and by means of the 
Post Office. 
(2.) That the alleged difficulties relating to Sickness Pay will be found, 
as your Menaorialists believe, to have been exaggerated, and are not of such 
a nature as to prevent the management and administration of sickness-pay 
being undertaken and efficiently discharged by the Post Office. 
(3.) That the proposal to grant Endowments through the Post Office should 
also receive the support of your Commission. 
(4.) That your Memorialists further submit that the Certificate of the 
Eegistrar of Friendly Societies should be so amended as to make it of weight 
in determining the trustworthiness of Friendly Societies. 
(Signatures following.) 
At a Conference of Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of Boards of Guardians 
in Dorset, Somerset, Wilts, Devon and Cornwall, held at Bristol on 
November 29th ult., under the Presidency of the Earl Nelson, the fol- 
lowing resohition was carried unanimously : — 
" That in the opinion of this meeting if the Government could provide an 
Insurance Society foi' Sickness and Old Age for the wage-earning class, it 
would be a most effectual mode of checking pauperism and of ultimately 
reducing it within very narrow dimensions." 
(Signed) NELSON. 
Similar resolutions were passed at other Poor Law Conferences. 
Advantages under the amended law 1875, now afforded to 
Registered Friendly Societies. 
A Society registered under the Friendly Societies' Acts has the following 
advantages over an unregistered Society for the like purposes. 
(1.) It can legallj' hold land and other kinds of property in the names of 
trustees, such property passing from one trustee to another, except in the 
case of Stock in the Funds or copyholds, by the mere fact of their appoint- 
ment, and can carry on all legal proceerlings in the trustees' names. 
(2.) Whilst the only criminal remedy against fraud by its members open 
to an unregistered Society is confined to larceny or embezzlement, a registered 
Society has a remedy on summary conviction whenever any person 
1. Obtains possession of any of its property by false representation or 
imposition ; 
2. Having possession of any of its property, withholds or misapplies it ; 
3. Wilfully applies any part of such property to purposes other than 
those expressed or directed by the Rules and authorised by the Act. 
The penalty being a fine not exceeding 20?. and costs, and in 
default of payment imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for 
not exceeding three months. 
'(3.) If an Officer of the Society dies or becomes bankrupt or insolvent, or 
if an execution is issued against him whilst he has money or ])roperty of the 
Society in his possession, by virtue of his office the trustees of the Society are 
entitled to claim such money or property in preference to any other creditors, 
(4.) If the Society has Stock in the Funds in the names of trustees, and 
