INTRODUCTION.

27

lowed.  These  societies  were  formerly  registered
as  Friendly  Societies  under  authority  of  the
Secretary  of  State,  though  some  of  the  provisions
of  18  &  19  Viet.  c.  63,  are  clearly  inapplicable  to
such  societies—an  anomaly  which  the  Act  of  1875
removes.
50.  The  Treasury  may  authorize  the  registry  of
societies  for  any  purpose  to  which  the  powers  and
facilities  of  the  Act  ought  to  be  extended,  and
may  limit  the  application  of  the  Act  as  respects
such  “  specially  authorized  ”  societies,  to  such  of
its  provisions  as  may  be  specified  in  the  authority
for  registry.  The  provisions  as  to  quinquennial
returns  and  valuation  do  not  apply  to  such
societies,  unless  so  directed  in  the  authority.  The
Treasury  may  allow  to  the  rules  of  any  such
society  the  effect  of  a  deed  under  seal,  making
the  contributions  recoverable  as  a  debt.  (See
Art.  47,  p.  26.)  The  power  of  authorizing  registry
of  societies  for  special  purposes  was  formerly
vested  in  the  Secretary  of  State,  but  the  power  to
limit  the  application  of  the  Act  is  new.
51.  Upon  this  provision  the  Chief  Registrar
has  remarked  (Report  for  1875,  p.  6),  that  it  in
fact  restores  in  a  safer  form  the  old  deposit  of
rules  (which  is  now  prohibited,  and  the  benefits
of  which  for  existing  societies  ceased  on  31st
December,  1878),  and  will,  if  the  power  be  judiciously ­
  made  use  of,  allow  the  extension  of  the
Act,  without  its  special  privileges,  to  a  number  of
different  classes  of  societies  which  would  either  be
virtually  shut  out  of  the  law  by  the  abolition  of
the  deposit,  or  which  can  now  only  obtain  under
c  2