INTRODUCTION.  .

5

provision  for  themselves  or  their  families  out  of
the  fruits  of  their  otvn  industry.  By  the  contribution ­
  of  the  savings  of  many  persons  to  one
common  fund  the  most  effectual  provision  may  he
made  for  the  casualties  affecting  all  the  contributors ­
  ;  and  it  is  therefore  desirable  to  afford  further
facilities  and  additional  security  to  persons  avIio
may  be  willing  to  unite  in  appropriating  small
sums  from  time  to  time  to  a  common  fund  for  the
purposes  aforesaid,  and  it  is  desirable  to  protect
such  persons  against  the  effects  of  fraud  or  miscalculation ­
  ”  (b).  The  preamble  went  on  to  recite
that  the  provisions  of  preceding  Acts  had  been
found  insufficient  for  these  purposes,  and  great
abuses  had  prevailed  in  many  societies  established
under  their  authority.
7.  The  statute  proceeded  to  define  a  Friendly
Society  as  “  an  institution  whereby  it  is  intended
to  provide  by  contribution,  on  the  principle  of
mutual  insurance,  for  the  maintenance  or  assistance ­
  of  the  contributors  thereto,  their  wives  or
children,  in  sickness,  infancy,  advanced  age,  widoAVliood,
  or  any  other  natural  state  or  contingency,
whereof  the  occurrence  is  susceptible  of  calculation ­
  by  way  of  average.-”  Not  only  the  rules  but
also  the  tables  were  to  be  thenceforth  submitted
to  justices,  who,  before  confirming  them,  were  to
satisfy  themselves  that  the  contingencies  which

(b)  It  Avill  be  observed  that  though  the  problem  of  Iioav
to  keep  a  society  sound  was  present  to  the  legislature  from
a  very  early  time,  the  expedient  of  a  periodical  valuation
was  not  adopted  till  the  Act  of  1875  was  passed.