INTRODUCTION.

41

The  stock  in  trade  was  then  £610,000;  giving  an
increase  of  174  per  cent.:  and  the  profit  balance
£426,000,  showing  an  increase  of  267  per  cent.
The  remark  of  the  Chief  Registrar  (b)  on  the
comparison  of  the  returns  of  1877  and  1878  is
equally  forcible  when  the  comparison  is  carried
nine  years  further  back:—“These  figures  are
eloquent  as  to  the  confidence  which  Co-operative
Societies  inspire,  and  apparently  deserve.'”
77.  With  regard  to  societies  and  branches
registered  under  the  Friendly  Societies  Acts,
12,300  returns  were  received  for  the  year  1878,
showing  4,692,175  members  and  £12,148,609
funds.  The  progressive  increase  in  the  number
of  annual  returns  received  is  evidence  of  the
excellent  working  of  the  Act  of  1875.  The
circumstance  that  the  return  is  to  be  made
in  a  form  prescribed  by  the  Chief  Registrar,  and
is  not  merely  a  copy  of  the  society’s  annual
report  (as  was  the  case  under  previous  Acts)  adds
to  the  usefulness  and  completeness  of  the  information ­
  obtained.  It  renders  impracticable,  however, ­
  any  comparison  between  these  statistics  and
those  of  ten  years  ago,  such  as  that  just  made
with  regard  to  Industrial  and  Provident  Societies.
78.  When  to  these  twelve  millions  sterling
belonging  to  members  of  Friendly  Societies  and
the  six  millions  to  members  of  Industrial  and
Provident  Societies  are  added  the  seventy-nine
millions  invested  in  Post  Office  and  Trustee
Savings  Banks,  the  thirty-one  millions  belonging

(/;)  Beport,  p.  23.