MANCHESTER UNITY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 778, 30 March 1910, Page 7

MANCHESTER UNITY.

: SEVERAL LONG , DISCUSSIONS. CENTRALISED . FUNERAL' FUND. . (By Telegraph,—Press Association., 1 Napier, March 29. A meeting of, the Moveable Committee of the .New, Zealand branch of. the Manchester.' Unity of. Oddfellows, was continued to-day. The executive were requested,to draft a suitablo reply to Bro. Sir Joseph JWaril's: .greetings, .which ,had. been received on the previous evening. Bro. M'Leod stated' that the 1 Prime Minister took a keen interest in the welfare of friendly societies, arid he (the speaker) knew personally that it. was Against : Sir Joseph's-wish that Clause -15 and 16 had been left out of tho Consolidated Friendly, Societies Act. • A proposal from tho Auokland district to rescind Rule 71- A .providing for the medical aid fund being . kept separate from, the.. management,,, fund was rejected by 21 votes to 11. With' reference to the rule . dealing .with clearances, at the Now.', Plymouth Conference an amendment was mado which .provided that a member clearing from'' one lodgo to another, connected, with 'the New Zealand branch, should be charged the same rate of contributions which he had paid to his previous lodge. The Auckland district now proposed a further amendment providing that a member shall be charged at the rato of contributions in force in tho lodge receiving ,the clearance at the ago ho joined the previous lodge, ■and shall bo exempt from paying entrance money.. The proposal evoked long discussion, tho chief argument in favour of the amendment it would bo more equitable in view of tho sick benefits not being uniform in the several districts. Tho amendment was adopted with but one dissentient. Deputy Loasby, moved, on behalf of the directors: "That it be a, ercommendation .to the Moveable .Committee to tho funeral fqnds on a, system providingior the .establishment of a central society funeral fund, by contributions payable through the dis- . tricts on an. equitable graduated scale, to bo provided..by an actuary, suitable for benefits in cach district." ; Deputy Thomas, moved as ah amendment: "That this meeting, whilst affirming the principle of establishing a central /funeral fund; considers that the importance of. the subject warrants further consideration of the matter, it be deferred for two years." After a debate lasting over two hour's tho amendment was lost by 19 votes to M. Deputy Loasby's motion wns tlion; put and carried. ; Machinery Tnles in connection with the,central funeral,fund wero disenssed and adopted. The conference adjourned till to morrow.