38 
INTRODUCTION. 
between it and the Friendly Societies Acts arises 
from the circumstance that Industrial and Pro 
vident Societies are incorporated bodies, while 
Friendly Societies have to act through trustees. 
It was indeed one of the recommendations of the 
Friendly Societies Commissioners “that the 
central office should have power to grant a cer 
tificate conferring incorporation in such cases as 
it may deem it advisable ”— and the motive of 
this recommendation was stated to be [Fourth 
Report, Art. 890] “to obviate the difficulties 
which are incident to the trustee system in large 
societies ”—but that recommendation was not 
carried into effect by the legislature. A system 
of optional incorporation might no doubt have 
given rise to confusion. 
73. The Industrial and Provident Societies 
Act, 1876, differs from the Friendly Societies Act 
also in not extending to societies registered under 
it the privilege of freedom from stamp duty. In 
not seeking from the legislature a renewal of 
this exemption, which Industrial and Provident 
Societies had enjoyed, in common with Friendly 
Societies, from the time of their being first cer 
tified under the “ frugal investment ” clause of 
the Friendly Societies Act of 1846 (see p. 10, 
ante), the framers of the measure probably had 
in view the inexpediency of claiming fiscal privi 
leges on behalf of societies like the Civil Service 
Supply Association, Limited, which carries on a 
business exceeding one million sterling per annum 
among the wealthier classes, or the Co-operative 
Wholesale Supply Association, Limited, which