FRIENDLY SOCIETIES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3024, 10 March 1917, Page 6

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES

I GOVERNMENT AID PROPOSALS. The Minister in Charge of Friendly Societies (Hon. J. Hanan), in the course of an inquiry relating to the social insurance scheme for friendly sooieties, mentioned yesterday that at the present time many important meetings aro Aeing held by societies in various parts of the Dominion dealing with this question. • , ■ i All Bociotios which wfere provisionI ally "approved" have at meetings held I up to the present formally adopted tbe I rules as required under the Act, these I comprising nearly the- whole of the I Druid and Foresters Orders, the llii bernians, and other Orders. In addii : tioii to these there aro about as many i j more societies who are still provisioni ; ally approved, but whose meetings I j have not yet- been held to confirm tho j ! adoption of the necessary rules. These i j included tho Independent Order of Otld- • I fellows, the Iteehabites, the Protestant I - Alliance Society, and the Otago, SouthI 1 land, and South Canterbury Manchess j ter Unity Oddfellows. In the whole I ) of these two groups there are about j j 55,000 m&nbere v/ho from January 1 I have been, entitled to the State bone- * fits provided by tho Act, out of a total f j membership iu all societies of 73,000.

"While on this subject," said Mr. Hanan, "I uliould like to correct a statement which is reported in the Press to 'nave been made at the Wellington I'icT.-iet meeting of the Manchester Unity Oddfellows "last week: It was statari there that the income restrictions imposed on members cf friendly societies under- tho Gchemo wore more cuprous thai) those imposed on National Provident Fuud contributors. I wish to publicly stalo that this is_ not so: the conditions as regards income being common to all. The members of friendly societies are, in fact, receiving a special concession in connection with the income restriction which was not granted to National Provident Fund contributors."