VICTORIA.

Evening Star, Issue 3754, 5 March 1875, Page 3

VICTORIA.

. (From our Exchanges.) Thepaat mouth has been unusually barren of incidents, both political and social. The Government has had under consideration the present position of the friendly societies. The importance of this subject will be readily conceded when it is found that in the Colony there are no less than 800 lodges connected with these bodies, and that they have in the aggregate over 50,000 members, the majority of whom we the heads of families, who, under certain circumstances, have a claim upon the funds. In fact, it would seem that there are, upon a moderate computation, no less than 250,000 persons, or nearly ormthird of the population, directly interested in the solvency and proper management of these societies. The Government _are anxious to introduce a measure into Parliament which will have the effect of removing many of the anomalies that at present exist, and which will place these aocieties.apon a thoroughly solid foundation. Por this purpose they have appointed a xloyal Commission, armed with very extensive powers, to take evidence upon the question, and gleam from every available source such information as will best enable the Ministry to take legislation action, Mr Langridge, M.L.A., who has for many years been identified with the organisation and management of friendly societies, has been appointed chehinan of th =) commission, and Mr Mathowson secretary. Under existing circumstances, Victoria has the advantage of three mails, the Suez the San Francisco, and the Torres Straits, for some LG,OOO less than under the former arrangement. The net cost of the Suez mail per annum is now L 16,000, with the terminn rni while it was former!\ L-1,000, with the tr; minus at Sydney. The friends of t! e Rev. R, K. Fwing, o ! Beechworth, have res dved not to allow the treatment awarded that gentleman by the Presbyterian Assembly to pass without protest. At a meeting of Presbyterians hj Melbourne, Mr Fwing defended himsei against of the charges, which b; said had been whispered against him hj , those anxious to destroy his reputation. Mr Awing does not hesitate to avow that Ik once witnessed a representation of “HamIw u < *Y e y , ” Eayß » “k® wou ld admi that he had paid some attention to elocu tion, and he nad no hesitation in saying that if other ministers had paid some attention to elocution and reading—and he was not alluding particularly to the Presbyterian Church —it would be better for them and also fotheir congregations He had not only read with Brooke, but had done the same thin ' with other eminent actors, and would have

no hesitation in doing it again.” And as .‘resident of the Launceston Philharmonic he showed s m: courtesy to Madam e no a Bishop, who was *ii.ging for its beFrom the 400 jurors to -whom Mr :, 'v.’ing submitted his case and detailed the Particulars of his career for nearly thirty' ars past, he obtained a favorable verdict nid an expression of cordial sympathy. He showed that for twenty years he was pastor of St. Andrew’s Church, I auuceston, a position which ho resigned in consequence of ’•'•sing his voice; and that on leaving that town for Melbourne he received an impress's testimonial of the respect and esteem in oich he was held, by his congregation. He V as principal of the South Y arra College for ■ix years, preach’ng from time to time in nrrny Presbyterian pulpits, and representing tne late Mr Mackie’a congregation in the General Assembly, and acting as an elder of the church for four years. Failing health mduced him to remove to Bright, where he preached every Sunday, reorganised two congregations, established a Sabbath school, and applied to. the Home Mission Committee to place him on the list of unattached minist.rs. This application was rejected, while tiio General Assembly has also refused to confirm h;s call to the pastoral charge of the united congregations of Beechworth and Stanley, and to admit him to the rights and privileges of a member of that assembly. For this refusal no valid reason has been assigned. His explanation was felt to be convincing by the audienee, who by their frequent applause showed their sympathy with the rev. gentleman ; while the frequent cries of **shame” proveel the general estimation in which the action of the assembly was held. A remonstrance, setting forth the objections to the decision arrived at, was unanimously adopted For about the last two years the question of amalgamating the two metropolitan Hebrew congregations has occupied the attention of the members of the different bodies, and various propositions have been made without anything of a definite nature being submitted simultaneously t? the parties concerned. Recently, however, a conference of members of the Bourke street and Stephen street synagogues met together and agreed upon the following as a proposed basis upon which an amalgamation should be effected : —Two synagogues in the city, one at the west, the present big “ Shool” and one at the east end, the Stephen street synagogue to be sold ; and a central synagogue to be" built on land to be acquired. That the services of the Eev. Mr Kintel should be retained as one of the ministers of the united body, he having officiated in that capacity upwards of twenty-five years On February 21 ibis proposition was submitted by ballot to separate meetings of the members of each body, when the result was as follows Melbourne congregation (Bourke street)— For amalgamation, 41 votes; against, 58. Fast Melbourne congregation (Stephen street)— For, 46 ; against, 6. As the decisions in the two cases are adverse, the question of union falls to the ground. An important report by the Government statist on the statistics of the friendly societies for the year 1878 has been publisted. In it Mr Hay ter complains that many of the societies send in no returns, or returns that are incomplete. Nearly 14 per cent, of the societies forward incomplete returns, the Hibernian C. B. S. being the most neglectful of the various bodies, for out of sixty lodges only fifteen sent in complete returns, Mr Hayter has grave reasons for urging an amendment of the law as to compel the societies to semi in true and complete returns. He says “ The returns which are sent in frequently disclose instances of appropriation of funds to purposes not permitted by the statute, and in opposition to the societies’ registered rules; and it is only reasonable to suppose that, whilst such irregularities appear upon the face of the returns which are received, more gross ones escape detection altogether, since it is evident that societies in which practices exist which might bring serious consequences upon tee perpetrators—perhaps the very officers whose duty it might be to compile the statements, would be the ones most likely to keep back their returns, or send in such only as might be unintelligible,”