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1915. NEW ZEALAND.

NATIONAL PROVIDENT FUND AND FRIENDLY SOCIETIES (REPORT OF PUBLIC PETITIONS M TO Z COMMITTEE ON PETITIONS RE); WITH DEPARTMENTAL REPORT AND MINUTES OF EVIDENCE. (Mr. OKEY, Chairman.)

Report brought up on the 4th October, 1915, together with Petition and Minutes of Evidence, and ordered to be printed.

ORDERS OF REFERENCE. Extracts from the Journals of the House of Representatives. Thuksday, the Ist Day of July, 1915. Ordered, " That a Select Committee bo appointed, consisting of ten members, to consider all petitions from M to Z that may bo referred to it by the Petitions Classification Committee, to classify and prepare abstracts of such petitions in such form and manner as shall appear to it best suited to convey to this House all requisite inf irmation respecting their contents, and to report the same from time to time to this House, and to have power to report its opinions and observations thereon to this House ; also to have power to call for persons and papers; thr. eto lea quorum : the Committee to consiiit of Mr. Bollard, Mr. Coates, Mr. Craigie, Mr. Dickie, Mr. J. McC. Dijkson, Mr. Isitt, Mr. Okey, Mr. Parr, Mr. Poole, and the mover." —(Hon. Mr. Rhodes.) Fkiday, the 20th Day of August, 1915. Ordered, "That the name of the Hen. Mr. Hanan bo substituted for that, of the Hon. Mr. Rhodes on the Public Petitions M to Z Committee."—(Right Hon. Mr. Massey.)

PETITION. The prayer of your petitioners humbly showeth : — That the National Provident Fund, as at present constituted and administered, is a serious hindrance to the natural growth of friendly societies in the Dominion. That the said fund, enjoying a subsidy from the Consolidated Fund to the extent of 25 per cent, on its member's contribution, in addition to the whole of its management expenses being paid by the State, renders the National Provident Fund a serious competitor to the friendly societies on conditions grossly unfair to the said societies. That lecturers and canvassers have been engaged in addition to a large army of Civil servants who have been appointed agents to the Fund, all these being paid by the State, this being in the opinion of your petitioners unfair to the friendly societies. That the members of friendly societies, numbering over seventy thousand, are injuriously affected by this unfair competition. That the friendly societies have paid to their members over one million pounds in sickness and funeral benefits, in addition to the annual payment of a sum exceeding one hundred and sixty thousand pounds on account of benefits, these large sums having undoubtedly saved the State a considerable sum in charitable aid, and have in other ways rendered valuable aid to their members and the State. Your petitioners respectfully request that your honourable House will take such steps as will remove the injustice. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. F. A. Smith and others. (Fourteen similar petitions.)

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