7

a.—l 2

No. of Registered No. of Lodges, &c, Lodges, Courts, &c. furnishing Cards. I. Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows ... ... 56 41 11. Independent Order of Odd Fellows ... ... 1 0 111. Ancient Order of Foresters ... ... 38 19 IV. Ancient Order of Shepherds ... ... 1 1 V. Independent Order of Rechabites ... ... 2 2 VI. Sons and Daughters of Temperance ... 3 0 VII. Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society 7 2 VIII. Miscellaneous Societies ... ... 4 3 Total ... ... ... ... 112 68 The cards thus received constitute a part of the information required under section 4 of the Amendment Act. The remainder of the information required under that section is rendered on return-sheets, the form of which will be found in Schedule VII. hereto. The adoption of this form of return has relieved societies from much work, the preparation of which was a constant source of complaint; and the results obtained may be considered, if anything, even more reliable. In conjunction with the cards, these sheets may be said to constitute a single return—the return of vital statistics which, in accordance with section 4 of tho Amendment Act, is to be furnished annually in place of, or —should tho Registrar in exceptional cases deem it expedient—in addition to, the quinquennial return required by section 13 (1, c) of the principal Act. The financial return required by section 13 (1, _) of the principal Act has also been altered as to form. The form previously used, sufficiently well applicable to general and local societies, was found to be not well adapted to societies of the affiliated type (which include nearly all bodies on the New Zealand Register). Hence the form contained in Schedule VIII. has been substituted. Returns in this form for 1878 have, up to the present time, been made by the following societies : — No. of Registered No. of Lodges, &c, Lodges, Courts, &c. furnishing returns. I. Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows ... ... 56 40 11. Independent Order of Odd Fellows ... ... 1 0 HI. Ancient Order of Foresters ... ... 38 24 IV. Ancient Order of Shepherds ... ... 1 1 V. Independent Order of Rechabites ... ... 2 2 VI. Sons and Daughters of Temperance ... ... 3 0 VII. Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society 7 4 VIII. Miscellaneous Societies ... ... ... 4 3 Total ... ... ... 112 74 In this list are not included the districts, &c, of tho affiliated orders, for which a special form of return was devised, as explained in the Registrar's previous report. The following districts, grand lodges, &c, have furnished, up to the present, returns for 1878: — No. of Registered Districts, No. of Districts, &c, Grand Lodges, &c. furnishing returns. I. Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows ... ... 11 8 11. Independent Order of Odd Fellows ... ... 1 1 111. Ancient Order of Foresters ... ... ... 5 2 IV. Independent Order of Rechabites ... ... 1 0 Total ... ... ... ... 18 11 VI.—VALUATIONS. There have as yet been no valuations in terms of the Act returned to the Registrar. One application for a valuation has boon received —viz., from the Loyal Charles Bruce Lodge, of the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows. After some correspondence, the lodge decided to appoint Mr. George Leslie, one of the public valuers, to undertake the duty. There has not, however, been as yet sufficient time for the valuation to be completed, and the results to be officially communicated to the Registrar. In view of the prospect that a large number of valuations will have to be made within the next few years, forms have been devised by the Actuary for making out the returns required by section 5 of the Amendment Act to be made out, on the one hand by the secretaries of societies, and on the other by the officer conducting the valuation. These forms vary somewhat according to the class of society, but those suited to tho Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, which may be taken as typical, will be found in Schedule IX. hereto. Although there have as yet been no valuations complying with the provisions of the Act, the Registrar has had his attention drawn to four private valuations of lodges belonging to the Manchester Unity—one by a Mr. Derrom, in Auckland, of the Loyal Fountain of Friendship Lodge, in that city, and three by Mr. Reuben Watson, of Nottingham, England, the well-known author of " An Explanatory Treatise on the Valuation of Friendly Societies, &c," of the lodges of the North Westland District of Odd Fellows. With respect to the first-mentioned of these, the Registrar regrets to state that the principles of the valuation are such as no actuary would sanction. In the first place, the future liabilities are discounted at 6 per cent., which, considering the probability of a reduction in the rate of interest, is an unsafe rate to assume as the basis of a valuation; and, in the second place, the statement of present-capital, which forms one of the premises of the valuation, ignores the existence of a lien to the amount of £3,500 on the freehold property of the society. The valuer brings out a surplus of £G,640 Ss. Hid.,'ihe total funds of tho lodge being £8,203 lis. Id. Hia report does not allude to the tables of sickness and mortality