ABSTRACT
TOWARDS the end of 1861 the registrar of friendly societies received various letters from Heywood, Oldham, Preston, Hyde, Ashton, and Manchester, of which the following is a fair specimen :—
" Ashton-under-Lyne. " Dear Sir,—As a member of a friendly society enrolled under
act of parliament, I venture to address you on the unparalleled amount of distress at present existing amongst our members, through the failure in the supply of the raw material-cotton. At a meeting held last night, various propositions were laid before the society for consideration, but the officers find themselves in such a position that they refuse to act, for fear of rendering themselves amenable to the law. We have for the last six months relieved a many cases from the management fund, until the fund has become so low as to cause no little uneasiness to the officers. We are at present about eighty-four in number, and we have about £60 in the management fund, and £800 in the sick and funeral fund. I was instructed by the members present last night to ask your advice about the following propositions :—
" 1st. Can we take money from the sick and funeral fund and place it in the management fund?—2nd. Can a society relieve distressed cases from the sick and funeral fund?—3rd. Can a society divide equally a portion of the sick and funeral fund to
relieve its distressed members, by consent of five-sixths of the members ?—4th. Can a society, by consent of its members at a summoned meeting, agree to suspend its monthly subscriptions for a certain time ?
