FRIENDLY SOCIETIES' CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8116, 22 May 1906, Page 2

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES' CONFERENCE.

FEB FBESS ASSOCIATION. Wellington, May 21. The Colonial Conference of the United Friendly Societies of New Zetland opened to-day. The president in his address said thirty-seyen delegates were present representing Orders, and six represented Councils. Eleven of the Orders represented had forty-five thousand members and funds amounting to £BOO,OOO. They annually dispensed £73,000 in sick and funeral funds, and £42,000 for medical attendance and medicine. The Conference was the most representative ever held in the Colony. Two important subjects for the Conference were the amending of the Friendly Societies Act and tho matter of setting up a colonial federation. Tho Conference would havo to consider the possibility of a uniform scale of contributions, of larger death paymonts than the law allowed, and improved means of investing lodge funds by allowing lodges to send small balances to tho central bodies. The Government's scheme of national annuities should receive attention from the Conferenoe, in order to soe if it would clash with the wort of tho societies. It was rosolved that voting be on a proportional basis.