ABSTRACT
Rose's Act added a privilege of great importance then, though now happily out of date, in exempting friendly society members from the law of parochial settlement. The Act heralded a period of great legislative interest in friendly societies. From 1793 to 1850 there were no less than eighteen Acts of Parliament dealing with these associations, which were repealed wholly or in part by a consolidating measure of 1855. Several of these Acts had as their express purpose the “encouragement” of friendly societies. In 1850 societies were given the choice of being certified by an actuary or of simply being registered without certification of their tables; most of them took the latter course. In 1855 certification was abolished. The State was driven back to registration without attempting to certify soundness. The Workmen’s Compensation Acts of 1897 and 1906 had not taken the form of insurance; they simply imposed a new legal liability on employers, altering the contract between employer and employee.
