Friendly societies, associations supported by subscription for the relief and maintenance of the members or their wives, children, relations, and nominees, in sickness, infancy, advanced age, widowhood, etc. by the Friendly Societies Act, 1875 (38 & 39 Vict. c. 60), various prior statutes regulating these societies were in whole or in part repealed, and the law consolidated and amended. Such societies may be formed for providing payments on birth of a member's child, or on death of a member, or for relief and maintenance of members and their husbands, wives, children, etc., in old age or sickness, the endowment of members at any age, the insurance of tools against fire, or of cattle, for working men's clubs, or for any other purpose authorized by the Treasury. Before any such society can be properly established, its rules must have been transmitted to and approved of by the central office for the registration of Friendly Societies. The Act was amended in 1876 by 39 & 40 Vict. c. 32 as to conversion of Friendly Societies into branches, and other matters; in 1879 by 42 Vict. c. 9 as to the receipt of contributions at a greater distance than ten miles from the registered office; and in 1887 by 50 & 51 Vict. c. 56 as to various small details, s. 18 of that Act empowering the Queen's Printers to print the Act of 1875 'with the additions, omissions, and substitutions required' by that Act. There was again a consolidation in 1896 by the Friendly Societies Act, 1896, and the (English) Collecting Societies and Industrial Assurance Companies Act, 1896, but without any amendment of the previous law, and the Act of 1896 was amended by the Friendly Societies Act, 1908, and reprinted as so amended. Ss. 1, 62 and 65 of the Act of 1896 were amended by the (English) Friendly Societies Act, 1924. See also Industrial Assurance Act, 1923, which gives further protection to the poorer classes of assured persons. As to the exercise of the domestic jurisdiction by s. 68 for the settlement of disputes, see Andrews v. Mitchell, 1905 AC 78. The Industrial Assurance and Friendly Soci-eties Act, 1929, made it possible to issue policies on the duration of certain lives for a specified period, and to validate certain endowment policies. As to the conversion of a Friendly Society into a limited company, see Re Blackburn, etc., Society, (1914) 2 Ch 430; Companies (Converted Societies) Act, 1910, which was passed, it is conceived, owing to certain obiter dicta in McGlade v. Royal London Mutual Insurance Society, (1910) 2 Ch 169. As to winding up, see also Companies Act, 1929, Part X. Consult Brabrook, or Pratt, or Fuller on Friendly Societies.
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