NEW ZEALAND RAILWAY EMPLOYES’ BENEFIT SOCIETY.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1670, 27 June 1879, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND RAILWAY EMPLOYES’ BENEFIT SOCIETY.

A general meeting of the members of this Society was held last evening at the accountant’s office, railway station. There was a large attendance of members, and the chair was occupied by Mr William Conyers, the Oommissiouer of Railways, and President of the Society.

The Chairman said ho had great pleasure in seeing so many of them present that evening, and would do all that lay in his power to assist them. The meeting was then addressed by Dr Campbell, who said it was to be regretted that the papers had published some personal matters of things that had occurred when he was not present at the time, and which he therefore could not refute. Ho then proceeded to speak of matters of a purely personal character in reference to his own connection with the society. In answer to a question, Dr. Campbell said he should decline to answer questions at that meeting. Such matters as those referred to should te dealt with by the committee. After a few more remarks had been made, Dr. Campbell retired. The fo'lowing report was then road : Report of the Committee of the New Zealand Railway Employes Benefit Society, at the Special General Meeting held Thursday, June 26th, 1879. Mr Chairman and Gentlemen, —This special general meeting has been called for to-night, for the purpose of electing a central committee and other business. With your permission, we will take that which is denominated “ other business ” first, and after that has been clearly understood, proceed to the election of the central committee. It is the committee’s own wish, however, that a few remarks should be made by way of preface— In the first place—The principal difficulty of this society has arisen from its not being properly started. The first meeting should have been appointed a preliminary committee, to advise the best means of managing the affairs of the society.

Next —The said committee might (as now) have appointed collectors, who should have been supplied with collecting hooks, pence cards, and declaration forms, and each district collector should have been given a month’s time to enrol applicants in his district, and have forwarded collecting book containing the entry of the first month’s contributions with the declaration forms to the secretary pro tem at Christchurch, and from these he (the secretary) would have prepared his roll of members. Had this course been adopted, we should not have been troubled with the difficult task of attempting to ascertain who had, or who had aot, paid their first month’s contributions, as the difficulty would not have arisen, and it must not he forgotten that this has been the most difficult matter to settle with which your committee has had to contend.

The second committee should have been appointed for the revision of the rules (and to report in a month), and should have been empowered to obtain the best legal advice for the construction of rules, which would thus have been placed before you at a much earlier period. This, your committee submit, would have been the proper beginning, then a general meeting of members should have been called for the consideration of these rules, a paid secretary appointed, and by the voice of the members have declared ourselves a branch of the New Zealand Railways Employes’ Benefit Society. Had this been adopted at first there would have been no difficulty in supplying a quarterly statement of accounts.

But, Mr Chairman and gentlemen, although our difficulties have been numerous, we believe they are at length surmounted, and let us hope that from to-night we may go on and become an ever prospering society. There is no reason why such should not he the case, but it behoves all hands who are members of this society to study and act up to the rules which your committee, after such a long and vexatious delay, are gratified to he enabled to place before you completed and registered under the Friendly Societ'es Act, 1877. The statement of yonr accounts have been brought forward to date so that it may be seen how the society stands at the period of this meeting, the debtors accounts having been paid up to the Ist June. Dr. £ s. d.

.£671 13 1 The number of members at present on the roll of the society is 690 Showing 257 who have fully paid up 199 one month in arrears 112 two ~ „ 53 three ~ ~ 16 four ~ „ 25 five „ „ 29 six „ „ 690 Total. The following have been struck off the roll of members: — 25 seven months in arrears 27 eight „ „ 23 nine „ ~ 27 ten ~ ~ 200 eleven f„ „

302 Total. These numbers amounting to the number that joined the society, viz., 992. These latter members (302) have been taken off the roll to place the position of the society fully before the meeting, but, taking into consideration the amount of money that has been paid to the doctors on the good faith of those who joined the society paying up their subscriptions, your committee consider that in common fairness those men wlm form the latter 302 (or such of them who are still in the employ of the railway) should bo compelled to pay their 20s or 255, as the case may be, the agreement with the doctors having been entered into on their account. All members joined the society without entrance fee, and immediately on enrollment an anxiety was evinced that doctors should be appointed, although according to the rules no benefits were to be derived for six months from the enrollment of members. Your committee appointed medical officers in four months, thus evidencing a desire to comply with any reasonable request, but certainly expecting a more liberal and generous support than has been accorded by some of those who first joined the society. . Tour committee appointed a deputation to wait upon the commissioner, for the purpose of conferring with him upon the subject of deducting the money from the pay sheets, and likewise compelling all railway employes to become members. He expressed himself to the effect that if an amalgamation could be effected between this and the Southern societies, he would, on its completion, enforce rule 14 of the Rules and Regulations of New Zealand Railways, thus compelling all those who have joined the service since the formation of the society to become members, and he also kindly stated that should delegates be appointed, or even a general meeting of all the societies be r quirect to be held in either Tiraaru, Oamaru, Dunedin, or ; Christchurch, he would give every assistance in furthering the wishes of each member of the society desirous of attending such meeting, provided it did not interfere with the exigencies of the service. I have the honor to be, Mr Chairman and gentlemen, Tour obedient servant, Charles Heaton, Chairman of Committee. The Chairman said ho considered the report was of a very satisfactory character, considering the various adverse circumstances against which they as a young society had to contend. There was one thing he could not understand, and that was the largo amount of arrears. The men got paid’ regularly, and his own'feeling'was that if these defaulters wore brought before him ho should dismiss them. If the arrears were all paid up there would now be a credit balance of £BOO in their favor. After a few remarks, the report was adopted. The next business was the election of a central committee, which resulted as fojlows : —For Christchurch: Messrs J. Knight, Dickenson, Ashley, McGarva, Liddell, Heaton, Andrews, Logan, and McSherry. For Ashburton : Mr Enncs. For Southbridge: Messrs Frame and Smith. For Timaru: Messrs Blackmore and Kneeshaw. For Lyttelton : Messrs Ockford, Turner, Bradley, and Ralph. For Sheffield: Mr Parsons. For the North lino : Messrs Salmon and Burke, Copies of the rules of the society, which have been registered, were then distributed, and some other routine business transacted. The Chairman referred to the amalgamation of this and the Dunedin Society, which, he said, would bo a very good thing. That Society had a considerable amount ot money invested, and would be very glad if the two societies became one. He was of opinion that the matter might be arranged amicably and simply. There was a little difference in the rules, but that might soon be got over. He should like to see the railway officials in this Island in a position to help themselves if occasion arose, and ho further thought it should be compulsory with all new hands to join the Society. If the G-oneral Managers were with him he would probably issue an order on 1 the subject. There was one other thing ho

would say, and that was that it would be well to stop the money from , the men’s woges. It would, he believed, be an immense advantage to the Society. Anyone who refused to pay should, in his opinion, quit the service. He saw no reason why a member should leave the Society because he left the railway service. For his own part, he should like to see the Society a thorough success throughout the whole Island. A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the proceedings.

1879, June 14th— To balance ... 609 18 7 Received tince ... 61 14 6 .£671 13 1 Cr. £ s. d. By sick payments ... 23 16 11 ,, Funeral allowances ... 45 0 0 ,, Nashelaki’a account 6 0 6 ,, H. J. Woods, stationery 2 6 0 „ Secretary’s salary ... 13 0 0 ,, Doctor’s account ... 330 14 7 ,, Amounts due to members who are now on sick list ... ... 25 0 0 Printing accounts ... 16 0 0 „ Balance to credit of society ... 209 15 1