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1938. NEW ZEALAND.

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES AND TRADE-UNIONS SIXTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT BY THE REGISTRAR OF FRIENDLY SOCIETIES, FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER, 1937.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to the Friendly Societies Act, 1909, Section 9 and the Trade-unions Act, 1908, Section 16.

The Registrar of Friendly Societies to the Hon. the Minister. Sir,. — Wellington, Ist July, 1938. I have the honour to submit the annual report of this Office for the year ended 31st December, 1937, in accordance with the provisions of the Friendly Societies Act, 1909, section 9, and the Tradeunions Act, 1908, section 16. I have, &c., R. Sinel, Registrar of Friendly Societies.

REPORT.

PART I.—FRIENDLY SOCIETIES. General. Actuary. —Towards the end of the year a Government Actuary's Branch of the Treasury Department was created, and the Actuary, Mr. S. Beckingsale, F.1.A., from the Government Insurance Department, was placed in charge. No doubt when the present problems are out of the way this arrangement should operate to the advantage of friendly societies. King George V National Memorial Fund.—An outstanding event of the year was the response by friendly societies to the Government's appeal for subscriptions to the King George Y National Memorial Fund. As the object for which this fund was raised—the safeguarding of the health of children — bears so close a relation to the prime purpose of friendly societies, it is not surprising that they responded so readily to the appeal. It is most pleasing to record that through the direct channel of the societies (taking no account of members' personal contributions to local Mayors' funds, &c.) no less a sum than £4,400 was raised. Validation. —Validating legislation has been promoted to meet cases where such contributions were paid from the Sick and Funeral Funds of societies or lodges. Auditors. —In Appendix A will be found a list of public auditors approved by the GovernorGeneral for the purposes of the Act. There is evidence that societies and lodges appreciate the skilled services of these auditors, and it is hoped, bearing in mind the magnitude of the funds involved, that still wider use will be made of those services.

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