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Annual Returns of Receipts and Expenditure, etc. The Friendly Societies Act requires these returns to reach me on or before the 31st March in each year. The number outstanding at that date in the respective societies was as follows :— Annual Returns outstanding at 31st March, 1926. Name of Society. Bodies' Branches. M.U.1.0.0.F. .. .. .. .. .. .. ° 2*' 4 1.0.0. F. .. .. .. .. .... 36 A.O.F. .. .. .. .. .. 2 11 U.A.O.D. .. .. .. .. .. .... 5 1.0. R. .. .... 5 H.A.C.B.S. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 21 G.U.0.0.F. .. .. .. 1 3 1.F.5., &c. .. .. .. .. .. .... 26 6 111 117 Statistics of Membership and Funds. The following table shows the membership of 817 lodges* of the Dominion for the year 1925 : — Number of members, Ist January .. .. .. .. .. 87,433 Number admitted by-— Initiation, &c. . . .. .. .. .. 9,330 Clearance .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,142 10,472 97,905 Number who died . . .. .. . . . 648 Number who left by— Clearance .. .. .. .. .. 1,178 Arrears, &c. .. . . .. .. .. . . 4,726 6,552 Number of members at 31st December .. .. .. 91,353 The above figures show an increase in membership equal to 4-48 per cent., as compared with 3-81 per cent, for 1924. The total funds of the societies and branches as on the 31st December, 1925, amounted to £3,136,237, made up as follows : Sick and Funeral Funds (inclusive of amounts transferred to special funds out of surplus), £2,915,141 ; Medical and Management Funds, goods, &c., £221,096. Dividing the total funds by the number of members at the end of the year it is found the average capital per member is now £34 6s. 7d. Taking the several years 1916-1925, the number of lodges whose returns were tabulated, the number of members, total funds, and average capital per member at the end of each year were as under : —

These sums are, of course, held against the societies' liabilities under their sickness and funeral insurances, and the actuarial reports issued from time to time indicate how far they are sufficient or otherwise. The above figures include the latest statistics received from lodges.

* The word " lodge," when applied to all societies, is to be understood as embracing the synonymous terms " court," " tent," &e., as used in the various orders.

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[ NUn ;abul 0 a^d 0dge8 | of ! Tota. Funds. | Average Capita,. [ I ; J : I £ £ s. a. 1916 .. .. 727 70,360 1,954,940 27 15 8 1917 .. .. •• 730 68,771 2,052,753 29 17 0 1918 .. .. .. 731 67,527 2,100,413 31 2 1 1919 .. .. .. 735 70,598 2,184,653 30 18 11 1920 .. .. .. 732 74,210 2,321,176 31 5 7 1921 .. .. 731 77,814 2,445,843 33 8 8 1922 .. .. .. 746 80,777 2,593,692 32 2 2 1923 .. .. .. 774 84,228 2,747,952 32 12 6 1924 .. .. .. 782 87,433 2,955,340 33 16 0 1925 .. .. .. 817 91,353 3,136,237 34 6 7