MANCHESTER UNITY OF ODDFELLOWS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1883, 31 July 1884, Page 3

MANCHESTER UNITY OF ODDFELLOWS.

A VALUED correspondent sends us the following : — The " Times " weekly edition, June Gtli, gives an account of the annual meeting of the Move.ible Committee of the Manchcstei Unity of Oddfellows at the Town Hall, Reading, when over 400 delegates from the various districts weie picsent. The Mayor of Heading and seveml membeis of the Corporation also attended. The Giand Master, in the course of his address, said on the Ist January last theie were 496,52!) membeis withid85,331 ,611 capital. In 18S3, the income was £795,632 anil the disbcr-.emimts were , £547,375 of which £431,137 was for sick, and £110,247 torfunoial beue fits. Mr Shaw Lefevie M.P. senior member for the Boiongh was intiodnued to the meeting and said that ho was informed by Mi Ludlow, the ltegistiar of Friendly Societies, that the Manchester Unity was one of the most nnpoi tant^ and best found of Fiicndly Societies At a dinner in the evening he said that he esteemed it a high privilege and honoui that he was allowed to be present at the meeting of the delegates of the Man cheater Unity, a society which was of almost world wide reputation and which was known throughout the British .Umpire as one of the largest and soundest j)f- confederated associations of Fuendly Societies. Mr Gosehen M.P. pu>posed success to the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, and said :—": — " I may greet you as a body of associated capitalists foi when, l open your lepoit, I see that you represent here a sum of five millions sterliu_ and you count some 500,000 membeis in your association, and these aie capitalists in every sense of the woid. But for what purpose are you associated ? You are associated for the puipose of rendoung aid through the means of self-help and mutual help in time of sickness and undei times of accident and pressure. You are not local, but you are national ; you do not belong to one craft, but to all ciafts ; you do not belong to England alone, but to the United Kingdom ; and not to the United Kingdom alone, but to the Biitish Empire; for j'ou have among you to-night members of your order fioin the colonies ; you are national, you aie optional, and you are free. I trust that in the hands of the representatives) of the working classes of the country the standaul of lieu labour and free exchange and free insurapce will always be hold high. The »ieat Chancellor Bismaick is anxious for a general system of insuiance, and theie aie now three laws betoie thcGeiman Parliament. . One is a law of insmance against sickness,* another for insmance against accidents, and also the insui ance for men who are out of work in their old age. Prince Bismarck is considered to lank among state socialists, and I want to point this out as one of the cardinal dangers of this system. It means regulation and regulation of labour as a whole. I understand we are here to-night to celebrate the position of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellow's, which is a gieat insurance association among you. 1 be«ive there is a social element, there is a oral element, and you feel bound together in your association and societies as citizens to citizens, men to men, and -brothers to brotheis. Prospeiity then to the Manchester Unity ot Oddfellows, may they flourish as a school of thrift, may they flourish as a rampart against Utopian schemes, and may the example of your self-governing friendly societies be a beacon light to other nations, that they may see what can be accomplished by iridependance, by optional methods by tblt gelf reliance which I trust, whatever may be said with regard to to socialistic tendencies of the ape, will long continue $b' distinguish the people of Great Britain and of Ireland." The above is a condensed report ot Mr Goschen's remarks* I his society ought to be more largely ' patronised by the working men of i jj e ty Zealand, because it is essentially a r -working- man's association, men of all p'religionSi men of all shades of politics as brother.^ in the lodges, and there work to- ,' ftethetrf 0 * * ne common good of all, sooth- - ings the 1 sufferings of the sick, and helping tlfcfneedy ; assistance is not doled out a' Charity, 'tis given as a right aud f-ajjrfth A bother's sympathy. 'Working men •fXijiokpvir the fact that during the year rSgjjg ; £|31,127 was paid to the sick memsiert''*n d £216,247 was paid tor funeral "£ef ppnßea of members and their wives or iiMoo^'-'I have known the inner workijimgf^fif ftthis association for half a fc and knew nearly all the f§jg||jjfc? j * promoters of the order, and [Jl&jfcWjfchftfc experiences and knowledge of iSLetminytibiessings it has conferred upon *S||^rtck/&ud destitute and to widows and WJmfcipßfpl would strongly advise e\ cry Hfllf}oQg!niau to become an Oddfellow. SffiSitifttforty years ago the lodges in «i|||i|y£jgjgr> united in presenting to the Pjira|jng"fßnil of the Deaf and Dumb j^^BM^f^ fch, c handsome sum of £500 MBfrfflPp* one of about 2*ooo members who ■H»jsMu,pr,ocessiou to -, the opening of BnHsamnfcution. This fact will prore BMa^r.J6^-fi-dfc-alwayBfcon6ne its good MHHEm^i^WQiniembers.'-.for that was HHfl^Me act of oh&rity, ■ •