H.-7

12

of which amounted to over £25 per member; 5, to over £20 and under £25 ; IG, to over £15 and under £20; 27, to over £10 and under £15 ; 35, to over £5 and under £10 ; 27,* to over £2 and under £5 ; 6,f to over £1 and under £2 ; 3,J less than £1. The average age or duration § of the three lodges which had more than £25 per member was 20 years 2 months ; that of the 5 which had between £20 and £25 per member, was 19 years 11 months; that of the 6 which had between £1 and £2 per member was about 4 years ; while the three lodges which had less than £1 per member, had also an average age of 4 years. It may be interesting to trace the progress, through a series of years, of the 17 lodges, &c, which lie at the two extremes of this list. The following table is accordingly subjoined:

The contributions credited to Management Funds of lodges during 1879 amounted in the aggregate to £15,129 19s. 7|d. (see Table XI.), or £1 ss. BJd. per member. Speaking roughly this is equivalent to 6d. per week per member. In 1878 the contributions amounted to £1 4s. 7-£ d. per member, and in 1877 to £1 4s. lfd. per member. The purposes to which these contributions are applied are not sufficiently indicated by the title of "Management Fund." As has been pointed out by Mr. E. F Owen, of the Government Statist's Office, Melbourne, the fund might more properly be designated " Medical, Management, and Incidental Expense Fund." In 1879 the three classes of expenses amounted to the following sums : — £ s. d. Medical expenses 10,429 5 3 Management expenses (including levies to District Management Fund) 7,562 15 8-g-Incidental expenses 2,389 5 8| 20,381 6 8 Almost invariably the heaviest item is the payment to the medical officer of the lodge. Leaving out of account the United Otago District, A.O.F , which defrayed medical expenses from the Sick and Funeral Fund, the expense of medical attendance amounted, on an average, in 1879, to 18s. Gj-d. per member. That the larger lodges—situated for the most part in the large centres of population —are not able to make very much better terms for themselves appears from the fact that in the 14 registered lodges, courts, &c, which had more than 200 members on the 31st December, 1579, the medical expenses amounted on an average to 17s. Id. per member. Neither do the large lodges show as great a saving as might have been expected in regard to expenses of management properly so-called ; for while the general average for all the lodges was 10s. per member, the average for the 14 lodges abovementioned was 9s. Bd. These averages relate to the expense of managing the affairs of the lodges,

* Only 2 belonging to the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, aged respectively 4 and 9 years. f Only one belonging to the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, aged 9 years. Since closed. j None belonging to the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows. § Six months has, of course, been added to the integral number of years given in the last column of Table X. *jr From the returns for 1880 it seems doubtful whether the number of members on 31st December, 1879, was not 8 rather than 2. Confusion sometimes arises through not distinguishing between persons who are suspended from benefit for non-payment of contributions and persona whose membership has absolutely lapsed, If the number of members was 8, t,he amount of fund per member would be only £23 18s. 9d.

Name of Lodge, Court, &o. Year of blishment. umber of Men 31st Deeenil ibers o: Amount of Benefit Fund per Mi on 31st December, ember 1876. 1877. 1878. 1879. 1880. 1877 1878. 1879. 1880. Lodges, Courts, &o., with exceptionally large Benefit Fund per member—■ New Plymouth Friendly Society, New Plymouth Fountain of Friendship Lodge, I.O.O.F., M.U., Auckland Hand and Heart Lodge, I.O.O.F., M.U., Dunedin Boss Lodge, I.O.O.F, M.U., Boss .. Waimea Lodge, I.O.O.F., M.IT., Stafford Court Patea, A.O.F., Patea Band of Friendship Lodge, I.O.O.F., M.U., Kakanui 1841 1844 1848 1866 124 305 265 73 125 316 281 75 121 318 287 65 125 335 298 53 ? p 292 50 £ s. d. ! 22 14 5 1 27 4 6 18 19 1 18 4 6 £ s. d. 24 6 8 29 4 8 20 6 7 22 1 6 £ a. d. 24 8 8 28 18 11 21 14 0 J 27 13 3 £ S. d. P ? 24 15 6 30 9 0 1867 1868 45 19 41 16 45 16 45 63 23 23 2 3 10 13 6 23 6 2 10 13 6 ! 24 16 9 <1[95 15 1 18 13 11 9 15 8 1872 p 12 13 13 13 19 3 7 19 14 4 21 13 1 23 15 4 Lodges, Courts, &e., with exceptionally small Benefit Fund per member — Court Pride of Oamaru, A.O.F., Oamaru Qoldsborough Lodge, I.O.O.F., M.U., Goldsborough ... Greenstone Branch, H.A.C.B.S., Kumara Unity Lodge, T.O.O.F., South Dunedin Pioneer Lodge, U.A.O.D., Christchurch Bavensbourne Lodge, I.O.O.F., Eavensbourne Court Bobin Hood, A.O.F., Port Ahuriri, Napier Court Buahine, A.O.F., Waipukurau Eemembrance Lodge, United Friends, Newton I I . 42 19 4 2 14 1 17 G ? 1868 44 £8 36 39 1870 39 36 S3 23 closed 2 7 8 10 0 1 14 7 closed 1871 1875 ? p 16 p 36 41 15 36 18 23 2 13 1 p 1 11 1 o io 7 0 18 8 Nil 15 8 0 8 7 ? ? ? 59 88 101 ? I 13 0 19 4 1 19 3 1878 19 24 22 0 6 0 13 4 2 9 5 1879 1879 21 17 28 30 19 9 12 3 2 4 2 19 9 1879 41 36 0 4 6 1 16 5