20
INTRODUCTION.
36. Societies receiving contributions by means
of collectors at a greater distance than ten miles
from their registered office, are made subject to
special provisions, which must be set forth in
their rules («).
Such a society—
1. Must furnish every member or family
with a copy of its rules for one penny,
and a printed policy for one penny (b).
2. Cannot enforce forfeiture of a policy or
benefit without written or printed notice
given at least 14 days before forfeiture
(c).
3. Cannot transfer a member to another
society or company without his written
(a) The Commissioners reported that their opinion was
decidedly adverse to this form of society. The radical evil of
the whole system appeared to them to be in the employment
of collectors otherwise than under the direct supervision and
control of the members, a supervision and control which
they feared to be absolutely unattainable in burial societies
that are not purely local. The method of collection from
house-to-house is not a vicious one in itself, and is appropriate
and economical, indeed virtually indispensable, where
the individual contributions are reduced to a minimum as
they are when confined to the purpose of securing burial
benefits : but in the general burial societies the employment
of collectors, from being a mere method of getting in
revenue, had become the pivot of the whole system ; the
collector was the society, the members were merely pawns
whom he moved about at will on the chess-board. [Fourth
Eeport, par. 545.]
(b) In some societies, they had previously charged a price
for the rules equal to six weeks’ subscriptions. [Ibid. 496.]
(c) This provision is intended to protect the member
against being thrown out of benefit by the collector not
calling upon him. “ Societies, in many cases, absolutely
maintained themselves by their lapses.” [Ibid. 503,]
