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SHOCKING DEATH IN A RAILWAY…

THE LOSS OF THE GLASGOW STEAMSHIP…

DREADFUL SUFFERINGS OF A SHIP'S…

SOifF LONDON PLAGUES OF FORMER…

THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

"HE LONDON and RAMSGATE MURDERSJ…

GREAT BOAT.RACE BETWEEN KELLY,…

MR. TIDD PRATT AND THE GARIBALDI…

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MR. TIDD PRATT AND THE GARI- BALDI FRIENDLY SOCIETY. At the Mansion-house on Wednesday Mr. Tidd Pratt, the Registrar of Friendly Societies in Eng- land, waited upon the Lord Mayor for the purpose of putting the public on their guard against joining a certain friendly society, which he said carried on busi- ness not many yards from his lordship's magisterial residence. The society in question had been brought under his notice, and he had made the necessary in- quiries in reference to the parties who had instituted it. The title was The Garibaldi Mutual Life Assur. ance and Sick Fund Friendly Society." The rules were certified by him on the 13th January, 1863, and business was stated to be carried on at 58, King William-street, City. In pursuance of the Act, a notice was sent to him containing the names of the parties who were trustees of the society, and by a resolution of the society, dated the 8th Octo- ber, 1863, they appeared to be Isaac Fair- weather, of Holly-cottage Muswell-hill; Thomas William Horner, of 58, Copenhagen-street, Isling- ton, said to be a beer-retailer at that time; and Abraham Smith, of 2, Dockhead, tailor. That docu- ment reached him in the usual way, and everything appeared to be going on correctly. Having given a detailed account of the working of the society during the last two years, Mr. Pratt said, a few days ago his attention was drawn to a printed paper purporting to emanate from this society, but which had not any printer's name upon it. In that paper they said, This society is established to moots the requiiomtsuls of tho working as well as the middle classes; to pro- vide for sickness, accidents, old age, and death. Its members may receive the following benefits by pay- ment of Id. per week and upwards:—Weekly allowance in sickness to males from 1Oa. to 20e.; and to females from 4s. to 8a. Endowments in sums from .610 to £ 200, payable in five. years and upwards, for children or persons of any age; sums payable at death from X2 to £ 200; persons insured from infancy to seventy years of age. Agents for the Government for the pur- chase of endowments, annuities, &o." That last state. ment was wholly untrue. In the first place, the Government did not grant endowments. Tim* 4!1.y omploj- agents for annuity purposes. Annuities were granted through the National Debt-office, and also, latterly, under Mr. Gladstone's Act, through the Post- office. The Lord Mayor was not perhaps aware that by Act of Parliament if the tables of a society were certified by an actuary he (Mr. Tidd Pratt) was bound to state so in his certificate. On the other hand, he was equally bound to state the fact in his certificate that the tables were not prepared by an actuary. In the case of the Garibaldi Fund, without mentioning names, there were two trustees, one of them being a clergyman, seven directors, an auditor, bankers, a surgeon, a solicitor, and a secretary, and on the back of the prospectus there was printed in large letters, < £ 100 will 'be given to any one who can prove that the Garibaldi Life Assurance and Sick Fund Friendly Society had not always promptly paid all its claims." The numbers of the policies ran up to as high as 7,316, though they never had more than 600 or 800 members; besides they were not en- rolled until 1863. He believed there was not so much done in London as in the country. It appeared that the society had agents in all the provinces. He held in his hand an agency application, in reply to which the secretary in London stated that the society had a reserved guarantee fund of .£25,000, although, as he had shown from their accounts, they had only a balance at their bankers in December, 1863, of .£51, and in the following year of .£49 (a laugh). He found the agents were allowed on ordinary assurance business -first, the entrance fees second, 50 per cent., or one-half on all business till the policies were 13 weeks old; third, 25 per cent., or one quarter permanently on all business done when the policies were over thirteen weeks old; fourth, when an agent showed his capability to conduct a large business an office would be allowedand paid for. He supposed that meant when the agent had induced a number of poor wretches to come in (a laugh). Then, as regarded the persons stated to be trustees, it appeared that one was a Welsh tailor in Bermondsey. He declared that he never was a trustee to the society, and never sanc- tioned the use of his name. Another of the trustees was put down as William Adams, Esq., Derby, but no such person could be found there. The next was E. D. Evans, Esq. This was a commercial traveller, who was persuaded to allow his name to be used, but he was believed to know nothing of the society. The treasurer was a draper in Southwark. He advanced money, which he lost, to one Stratton. That Mr. Stratton instituted a society, and he suffered for a swindling transaction twelve months' imprison- ment, at Newcastle, he believed. The bankers were stated to be the London and County Bank, Borough branch; but the society had now no account at that bank. They had such an account at one time; but the account, which was described as a miserable affair, and constantly overdrawn, was closed in 1863 or 1864. Mr. C. Robertson, said to be tho soli- citor, had never acted for the society, and never autho- rised the use of his name. He was much obliged to the Lord Mayor for having afforded him the oppor- tunity of making that statement. He had thought that, holding the office he did, when so flagrant a case as that came before him, it, was his duty to make it public, and to endeavour to protect, as far as he could the industrial classes from being deceived in that manner. He held in his hand a picture which adorned the front of the prospectus, which represented Gari- baldi with a sword in his hand, which he waved over the heads of a number of widows and children, but with which he looked as if he were going to cut their heads off instead of protecting them. The Lord Mayor said he was greatly obliged to Mr. Pratt for the statement which he had made, and he had no doubt the public would feel grateful to him for the exposure. He had had a great deal of experience as a magistrate, and his opinion was that most of these loan and discount offices were some of the greatest swindles of the day. Mr. Pratt said it was important to endeavour to stop the career of such societies at once but he might say it was not unlikely that further proceedings might be taken.

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