MINERS AND THE ACCIDENT RELIEF FUND.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 185, 13 May 1872, Page 3

MINERS AND THE ACCIDENT RELIEF FUND.

To the Er'tor of the Tiiamks Guard'ax. Sir, — I saw in your iswie of tin* Bth a letter signed “ T,” in which “'l'” accuses “ o>ld Fellow” of piejmlice. I can assure “T” that, without anv prejudice whatsoever, I have wat -bed the progress of the Accident Fund, hoping it would prosper for this reason : b -cause I bad believed it to be in some way connected with the benevolent ladies of the Thames, who have laboured hitherto so sm-cessiidly amongst the poor of our district; but when I saw it assuming the character of a benefit society, of course the next thing I expected to see was that it would lie | regularly formed and registered under the | “Friendly Societies Act.” “ T ” accused me of being informed of this and that, but lie cannot say that I have been informed of this ever taking place. And I ask, sir, will anything short of this conformity to law ever make it valid in the eyes of the public? And, again, “T” wants to know what there is in managers of claims wauting to know the names of those who were already in two or more other Orders, and consequently did not see any need of joining this Accident Fund. “ T ” cannot see what there is in this to prejudice “Odd Fellow;” he cannot seen what there is in a body of mine managers forming themselves into a com* ! mittee to form a society to raise funds, , this being their darling object. Of j course it is introduced into the I claim by the mine manager himself,

and introduced in sm-li a manner that there could be Ho uiistakiug.lJie meaning. You could say yes or no, of course, but there is something very significant in a man’s name beiug handed into a committee of managers. “T” cannot see anything iii this to prejudice an Oddfellow against what any sensible man must see is a good cause. It is true I may be a little deficient in this respect, but surely there must be some sensible men outside this committee, and it appears that they also have hitherto failed to see any good in this good cause. Or if there is any one that sees its good, why ndt do tJio public tho justice of showing it. “T ” has shown one very charitable act tho judicious committee have done in order to prove that they desired no private benefit. Ho says “ almost the first £25 received is handed over to the hospital.” “T” said that surely “ Odd fellow ” could not have read the rules, and finished his letter with, “ What would a society be without rules? They must be very incomplete rules certainly that would permit ot disposing of monies which were raised from the public for one particular object to bo able to dispose of the whole amount for any other purpose which those few may think proper without infringing the least on those rules. The fact is, sir, there are no rules. The nine somethings that were printed for the mineis are so loosely put together that they would allow the committee to speculate in scrip if they thought proper, with equally the same propriety as they could give the £25 to the Hospital. Do not think, sir, that I am sorry it was done, for I am not, as now I know it is gone to a good purpose ; but if it bad happened that a poor unfortunate miner, who had been induced through a look from the manager to say yes to perhaps paying his sixpence per week, contented enough, thinking it was binding as long as be pays it regularly ; I say if one of those poor unfortunates was hint just as this £25 was paid away, could ho find the least loophole in these rules that would admit him to a claim upon any of them. I say he could not. And vet, on the other side, if it was £25,000, they could walk right out through with it. And well they have named it Accident Relief Fund, for l heli< \ - it will be quit'* accidental if any one ever gets any r -lief from it. It. wili not be wit h good management, for I am sure if the Cal (lonian Company had any desire whatever to give the Hospital £25, they could have done so without passing it through these gentlemen’s hands, ami would have had an acknowledgment, from the Hospital for tic ir spontaneous liberality. I have been accused of casting a slur on the commit^-e. At any rate, I do not mean th se few remarks to be taken as a slur at a I, but just showing, sir, what a on-sided affair it is uli<» •■-th r; and the very argument used by ‘‘T”goes t*> snow th • want of proper management, and the injustice done to the society; so that I must conclude that if “T ” is a fair speciiiien of one. of thos* right-thinking, s nsible men that can see so inueli good in this cause, and he cannot bring anything better than the indiscreet management of the said comnrttee to reeommeod this good cause to the public, lie had belt* r let some of the committee show the public their’rules fertile future working of this friendly, good cause, far “ T ” has utterly failed to do so. I think, sir, if “ T." had carefully read “ Odd Fellow’s” letter, that he would sec that all the arguments he has brought forward in favour of this society tend rather to strengthen “ Odd Fellow’s” arguments than they do to convince him. On the contrary, it has opened the eyes of the miners more than ever to the insecurity of this fund ; for they justly argue if we are out of work to whom are we to pay our money ? There is no office, no trustees ; and who is to be responsible for the funds ? No one can hinder them at any time from giving away those subscriptions to any cause which they may think proper, especially when an opportunity offers to outshine the ladi's of tho Thames in benevolence. But I think, sir, that they will have to put their hands to the strings of their own purses before they will accomplish that. lam accused of wishing its failure from my heart. I must deny this. But Ido wish the ladies every success, believing, at the same time, that their society is quite adequate for all the claims on charity in the neighbourhood, whi.h means, in my opinion, sir, that the Hospital and the Ladies’ Benevolent Society are quia? enough to bo supported as charitable institutions by public subsidy ; and if there aro any on the Thames who a>-e only now cutting their wise teeth, and are anxious to prepare for a future, there are four benefit societies here ; three of them must bo acknowledged to have merited the confidence of the public by the validity of their constitution being past reproof. And if any one is desirous of preparing for a time of need, I would say join the Odd Fellows, where you will not only be providing for self in case of accident, but will at the same time he providing for every member of your family in case of sickness, and where you will he sute the funds will not be swallowed up in salaries for officers, but will have an equal vote in the management of your own monies.—l am, &c\, An Odd Fellow. Shortland, May 11.