RAILWAY MEN'S NEEDS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 613, 16 September 1909, Page 5

RAILWAY MEN'S NEEDS.

-v.-iW'... .: •* ; SICK BENEFIT SOCIETY, NO ALTERATION DESIRED. '. A-mwting of .members of tho Napier-Tar'a-Dalvi-Manawatu .Haihvay Sick. Benefit' Society . was.held at the Th'orndon Station lost evening to consider the 'proposals-of 'tho Amalgamated • Railway' Servants, to tuke;over : the ■v-vi '■! .'piifrol'' of } tha bexiefit ;soeieties in'''coiiiieo- • tion with , the Department, throughout ' New -. Zealand—sevon in all—and administer the'work .... from.its-head officp; The. gathering was'the ' '/ . first meeting of tho society to be held in WeiW^ ; lingtiti.''and' it."was [ largely,'attended. Mr. ' A. .-' -' ■ li. .Pollock presided ,and explained the objects of the' meeting. yv V"; ; j;,'; v'~ ' v- xMr.vA.'Cnssio stated .'that the ISapier-Tara-'BakirMknawath;-; Society• had' been"26 y«ars;• in J ■ ; jii „-v.s : '• T:. ofistence.';"The /society :hhddone good ' work, . and'after payment.of .the sick and benefit f finds, , levies of'2s: 6d., 'and had been ; . .. 'refunded asdividends.-Tho management ex- ' penses'woro not moro.thanhalf thoso of " the ordinary';friendly '■ societies,'" and,: the ' icontribn- '".'^^^ i l-->!''■'>■■V , i■ : scale,' and .within the .;;'«::;J'-^i:..moh.'of'all-railway, workers. ;'Hehad-been for ■- • a numberyof ; years .'representative for WellingV 'ton,' Md'hadvfieard-of no: case of'misapplication : of; funds,' nor any •complaints against the ' .<ih ;'. clety.V.'Por. any, such'organisation to be of real - ./i v.;: : use ;in' ; cases':of sickness, accident, or 'death, .it ' ', Was;,necessary,to' have a live committee, .'whose y : -i ! ~': |^i''-':1 -;'.'6fficerS\wula'be'ionrthe'spot ; 'ITrith1Trith , r[owor'to'.act.'' ' ■': ' V a member of the society iva.s killed a repre- ',.. . tentative of-the; committee made urgent • inquiries;os to. : the" circumstances, the ueceasod's •' j; i ■ vVf. 1 - -. vWife aad relatives 3 werio; rendered such assistance ■'! Vt'V!'.! ; f as'' might be in;his power," and if financial .help ; ' Was . needed he immediately 'telegrarhed 'to. the v . . '.committee for funds, and by the followmc:day V 'hUp 'as was required.,He . 'i : , ■. i , ; ..i / ".felt; assured that if- the'' proposals'.of .the v Amal- ! ' : v Boated' Society: we're'approyed.. the expenses-of 1 ' management, would ' be greater,; tho 'scale .of con>'.tribufions'would'have, to. be increased, and, the workswould not; boydone; with,,the'.present dis- ■ ~v ' patch and efficiency. ■'■■■ V / • i ,?l8 nr . es were quoted-by Jlr. Cassio.to show strong financial, 'of :their.'sociely. Vi' V/h: '; .. ;.. The 'balance-sheet;, .the six '.months' ended 1 1: ■ ; Juno'l2 was as follows:—Balance brought for- '• V',. ward,-..£135 Is.: 7d.; income,:wE433 13s.';6d.i 'total, receipts,. 435.- Id.expenditure; J3515 14s. : ;• : ■ 6d. (including VBB 15s.- carned to the benevolent >. fund); credit balance, X413;.05." 7d. . This was k; ■* ■; despite ..an excessive, death-rate. The member- ' • .. . ship of the society, was . now over SCO. There ■ . was a final benefit in conr.oction with,'the society. ; MembqrsV,by;: paying 'a'.levy of :oner slilf ling a year in caso of sickness of'ono month's y ' duration 'or more .could have their, superannua-: • •• tion contributions paid by tho society. This ' ' : was to members ivho were -. ViWX-,. laid. aside for soveral months "by!.sickness or ■' ; accident.'. Thisvy'ear' ; ,ISO . 'members-paid- the • . ; ; levy of a shilling, and: 10 .were rehoved to-the total amount of JElt 18s. • 5d.; the satns paid for .. . relief Tanging from Cs. ld. to JE2.103. In other yoars;theamount .paid ;• for relief had been '"'■f"'':,-.:;- over; . The! Amalgamated Society at its , i. last :conferencOj had brought forward a sick i';,:,'?benefit''Bcheme ) ;of :which;'co'Mideration was adjourned at the time, but of which tho proposals ,v. -- ■ were, ho.:nnderstood,-.now being brought'for-' V.'. ', ward again for the next conference. The' proposals might be altered from thd form in which :V.'vj y' they wore presented:last year, bnt he under-; ;. . - stood ;that .they were the samo.i He contrasted > those iproposals'with- the conditions' of ;the sick benefiti society, .which ;he, urged were-.prefer-able. ''i'.'.'..','«Ur.';.'F.''.-Clark4.v(Fetone. branch) briefly en-' - • dorsed Mr. Cassie's remarks. ■.. ■ -, ; ' ; H''o; ; ." x Mr.-; Cassie' .moved: '•"That - this; meeting of; members • of : tho Napier-Taranaki-Manawatu Sick Benefit Society, does not think it destr- . able that any changa be -made as proposed ; by • ;, -.■ the 'Amalgamated. Society', of Kail way Servants, and'consider'that the'present. : constitdtibn;and • " .i-: : .; administration of the society are satisfactory ; to the majority of members, and that a vote of confidence be-accorded to the management '■ committee of this ..society." : The motion was seconded, by Mr. J. 1 -Waters, i and carried unanimously.