350 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 25, 1883. 
all the transactions are recorded is a credit to the Society 
and its Secretary. 
Established in 18GG, it made comparatively small progress 
during the first few years, and on the present Secretary 
commencing his duties twelve years ago only numbered forty 
members. Since then there has been a constant and steady 
iucrease, and, what is particularly important, a vastly greater 
proportionate increase of funds, the balance sheet of 1882 
showing £2185 Is. 10 d. invested in consols, and ninety-six 
subscribing members. The increase of the sick fund over 
the preceding year was £182 17?. Q^d., and of the benefit 
fund £54 10s. 8 d., or a total of £237 8s. 2 d. ; and against 
this what were the disbursements ?—the extraordinarily 
small sum of £21 18s. 5 /., this including cost of manage¬ 
ment, sick pay, and moiety, according to rule, to the 
Benevolent Fund, thus showing a balance on the year in 
favour of the Society of £215 9s. Id. And what becomes of 
the rapidly increasing moneys invested ? What are they for, 
and where do they go ? Mark the reply. Each member has 
a separate account, and is furnished every year with a 
separate balance sheet. He is credited with the money he 
lias paid during the year, which is added to his accumulations 
during all preceding years, also with the interest arising 
from his fund; then is deducted his moiety of the sick pay 
that has been incurred during the year—which last year did 
not amount to Qd., and the remainder is banked for him. 
For instance, we take as an example the account of one 
member. For this purpose the book was opened at random 
and the first account extracted : it is that of Mr. George 
Ingram of Balham, a comparatively young member. 
£ s. d. 
Deposit balance for 1882 . 9 2 2J 
Interest added . 0 5 3 
Contributions for the year . 16 0 
£10 13 5i 
Deduct for share of sick pay . 0 0 4§ 
Total invested .£10 13 Of 
Mr Ingram thus increased his account during the year by 
£1 10s. lOA, and this was effected by a payment of 6<i. per 
week, or £1 6s., and at the same time entitled him to sick 
pay during the year if he had needed it. It will be seen by 
this that 4s. lOjei. more than he paid in was added to his 
account; and it will be perceived also that this gratifying 
result is provided by the interest that accrued on the sum 
invested. We now arrive at a very important circumstance 
that is worth remembering—namely, the probability, amount¬ 
ing almost to a certainty that, after a member has contributed 
to the funds for, say, seven years, that the interest alone of 
his money invested will meet his full share of liability for the 
sick fund, and every penny lie pays in will go to increase the 
amount of his deposit. This, be it remembered, is his own 
money payable in full, with interest added, to whoever he 
appoints to receive it in the event of his decease. But if he 
lives he cannot draw it himself until he is seventy years of 
age, by which time the accumulations will amount to some¬ 
thing substantial. The account cited is an actual one, and 
if the member referred to compares it with his balance sheet 
he will be able to point out any inaccuracy, if any has 
occurred, in the transcription of the figures. Every mem¬ 
ber’s account is thus kept separately, only some being older 
are much larger; as for example, Mr. W. Heale has placed 
to his credit £38 5s. 0 bd. ; Mr. G. Wheeler, £37 14s. ; Mr. F. 
Mouland, £37 14s.; Mr. J. George, £37 13s. 11 Id.) and Mr. 
Ileims, £27 17?. Q\d. Should these members continue 
subscribing until they reach the age of seventy there is 
scarcely the remotest doubt that the aggregate sum to 
which they will then be entitled will amount to at least £500. 
It will be seen, therefore, that this Society, besides affording 
relief during sickness, acts as banker for its members, and 
practically becomes a life insurance company as well. 
It is in the above important respect that it differs from 
the ordinary benefit societies, and the advantages cited of 
this Gardeners’ Benefit and Provident Institution canuot be 
over-estimated. The fundamental difference between the 
two was forcibly stated to us by Mr. George Baker, late 
gardener at Coombe Cottage, Kingston-on-Thames, and now 
of Membland Hall, Ivybridge, Devon, to whom the Society 
is much indebted for its success, and who was its Treasurer 
for many years. “ I have paid,” observed Mr. Baker, Id. a 
week into the Odd Fellows (or Foresters, we forget which), 
since I was eighteen years of age, and I am now fifty. I 
have, fortunately, had nothing out in that time, and if I go 
on paying all my life there will be £12 at my death.” 
And then he continued—“ I have paid Id. a week less into our 
Gardeners’ Society for seventeen years, and now have nearly 
£40 to my credit, and if I continue paying as long as I paid 
into the other I shall have £100. This is £100 if alive at 
seventy, against £12 at death, and Id. a week paid more for 
the latter privilege than the former ! 
It may be thought, however, that the past year was 
specially favourable, and that the balance sheet of that year 
is not a fair index of the state of the Society. We frankly 
state this was our opinion, hence we copied the income of 
the benefit fund for the past five years, and the disbursements 
to the sick fund during the same period. We found w’hat 
we anticipated, that the year in question was a good one, but 
the one preceding w r as better as regards the bill of health. 
The average of the five years will, however, fairly represent 
the condition of the Society, and this would reduce the deposit 
account of the members by the full amount of nearly 2Id. 
The figures are as follows :— 
Benefit Fund. 
Income. Side Disbursements. 
£ s. d. £ s. d. 
1878 . 
... 107 5 
0 
1878 
... 3 3 4 
1879 . 
... 116 3 
6 
1879 
... 4 10 0 
1880 . 
... 129 16 
6 
1880 
...4 0 0 
1881 . 
... 135 3 
6 
1881 
... 1 11 6 
1882 . 
... 144 2 
3 
1882 
... 2 2 8 
Five years’) 
... 126 10 
If 
Five years’) 
... 3 3 5 
average J 
average J 
This shows 
a balance in favour of income of 
no less than 
£123 6s. 8 Id. What more can be needed to demonstrate 
the safety and stability of this excellent fund ? But it may 
be thought we have omitted to deduct the expenses. This is 
not so, for the management fund is kept separate, and is 
supported by a special contribution from each member of 
2s. Qd. per year. 
The weekly sick pay to which members contributing 2s. 
a month is 10s. Qd. for twenty-six weeks, and half that 
amount for twenty-six weeks more ; those subscribing 3s. a 
month have 16?. and 8s. respectively. If a member’s illness 
is protracted beyond a year he is transferred to the benevolent 
fund, and the Committee do the best they can in each case. 
During this time no money is taken from his deposit, and 
when he is receiving pay no larger amount than two days’ 
sick pay monthly may be received from him ; but there is 
a slight reduction from his payment:— %d. from each Is. if 
he joined under twenty-five years of age, Id. if between 
twenty-five and thirty-five, and l^d. if between thirty-five 
and forty-five. This goes to the benevolent fund, and it 
serves another purpose by reminding the member that he is 
contributing a little more to the sick fund than if he were 
well, so in a double sense the sooner he is well the better. 
There are other points worthy of attention, but they cannot 
be mentioned now. 
Members are eligible to join the Society between the 
ages of eighteen and forty-five years, and there is no entrance 
fee. An unknown person desirous to join must send a 
medical certificate countersigned by either a clergyman of 
the Established Church or a well-known gardener or nursery¬ 
man, and must also furnish a copy of the register of his birth 
or his baptism, so that there may be no doubt of his eligibility. 
We have yet to refer to the benevolent fund, and w r ould 
especially commend it to the notice of the affluent employers 
of gardeners, also to nurserymen who may be disposed to 
contribute. Much good may be done and has been done by 
this fund, and it is most desirable that it be strengthened. 
