The Globe. MONDAY, JUNE 12, 1876.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 618, 12 June 1876, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, JUNE 12, 1876.

The Friendly Societies Draft Bill is now in circulation amongst, those bodies. This being the case, we deem the time opportune to make a few observations upon the class of men by whom they are formed, and upon the objects which they have in view. The greater number of the members are men who work for a weekly wag©, and the main desire is to provide a fund or funds to meet emergencies, such as sickness, want of employment, or death, as also a provision for the aged. We are now looking upon the Friendly Societies as thoroughly distinct from those of Trades Unions. It will be but right to admit that those who inaugurated these societies had in view the inculcation of habits of forethought and economy amongst workmen, and the providing against a “ rainy day ” was to be the great result to be brought about. All this wo believe, but we have reason to be doubtful as to the means which has been used, We are led to suppose that were not these societies fostered by outside adjuncts that they would not be able to sustain their financial systems. By adjuncts we designate all the machinery, irrespective of the clerical work, appertaining to their financial existence, as for instance, the secret signs, the lodge meetings, use of regalia, and public demonstrations, the latter of which we believe to be waste of capital, as incurring the expenditure of funds for objects outside of the ostensible aim of the societies. We are very desirous to see the Friendly Societies in a good financial and entirely independent position ; but we do think that the outlay of moneys that have to be disbursed for the purposes of keeping up the “ show ” part of the business is unnecessarily thrown away. We think that all the monetary subscriptions could be as easily paid into the funds of the societies at an office, or at offices, in the the daytime, with much greater saving of expense than is incurred by members in attending lodge meetings in the evenings. It is, no doubt, a position of command that of being a Worshipful Master or a Chief Ranger, and to be able to make bye-laws and interpret statutes to members of a lodge ; but the real question is, could not this machinery be worked more advantageously for the members of the societies by some

much less expensive method. We believe it could, and we think that the simplification of the modes of the receipts and expenditure of the various friendly bodies could be undertaken with very great advantage to their members, and now that a favorable opportunity presents itself, that these matters should be taken into serious consideration.

A remark made by a speaker at a social gathering one evening last week, duly reported in the morning journals, to the effect that from November last to the present time no less a siim than £20,000 had been paid by the citizens of Christchurch for various kinds of public amusement during that period, suggests the question What description of entertainment have they had for their money? On carefully reviewing the several exhibitions of the “ Art” alluded to by the speaker, we can confidently say that, with the single exception of the highly-gifted songstress who is now with us delighting thousands of admirers, we are unable to discover that this large amount has been spent either wisely or profitably. A circus, a tight-rope performer’, a singing and dancing troupe, a second-rate opera company, a puppet show, and a mediocre company of stage-players at the Theatre, complete the list. The bulk of the foregoing had at least for attraction the advantage of novelty. The Opera Troupe and the Dramatic Company, however, enjoyed no such recommendation, the operas given by the former, being time-worn and imperfectly rendered. The stage plays of the latter were musty, dull, and uninteresting, and we fear were but too often put up cither to gratify a morbid craving of professional vanity, or to indulge a lazy indifference to the study of new parts in more modern productions. Considerable improvement has no doubt been made in the state of things which at one time existed at this place of amusement, when degenerate ruffians held high sway, and when pieces were produced which were notoriously vulgar and pernicious in their tendency. We hear that the talented young author and actor who has recently come amongst us will have the direction of the new theatre, and we hope that he will inaugurate his accession by the introduction of new and appropriate pieces, and he may certainly then reckon on even more generous support than that so freely given to his immediate predecessor.