§ MR. MACDONA (Southwark, Rotherhithe)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Registrar of Friendly Societies, of Abingdon Street, Westminster, has received the balance sheet and Returns (under the Trade Union Acts of 1871 and 1876) of the Railway Employes and General Mutual Legal Aid Society, of 266, Gray's Inn Road; whether he is aware that a Mr. Glew has constituted himself secretary and treasurer of this Society, and sent in as yet no Return since the formation of the said Society; that the President of this Society, Mr. E. J. Walker, is dead, and that notwithstanding this fact his name still appears as President upon the circulars of this Society; whether any meeting of members has ever been held; whether any minutes of the Society have ever been kept or produced; whether a Mr. Sayer is Trustee; if so, can he state who appointed him, and whether he has a banking account in the name of the Society; where are the registered offices; and will he cause inquiry to be made into the facts of this case, and if it should prove to be a bogus Friendly Society, by means of which several watermen and lightermen and other poor operatives have been taken in, he will institute further proceedings to prevent the possibility of further harm being done?
§ * SIR J. T. HIBBERTThe Registrar of Friendly Societies has not received the annual Return (under the Trade Union Acts of 1871 and 1876) of the Railway Employes and General Mutual Legal Aid Society, of 266, Gray's Inn Road, but proceedings to enforce the Return have been commenced. The name of Mr. J. Glew appears on the Rules of the Trade Union as Secretary and Treasurer. The Trade 474 Union was registered in August, 1891. It is correct that Mr. Glew has sent in as yet no Return since the formation of the Trade Union. The Registrar has no knowledge of the other circumstances stated, nor has he any authority to require minutes of meetings to be produced; but every member or person having an interest in the funds has the right to inspect them at all reasonable times. On the registry of the Trade Union the name of Mr. John Sayer was returned as its Trustee. The authority for the statement that he was so is that of the seven members who signed the Rules. The Registrar has no knowledge whether Mr. Sayer has a banking account in the name of the Trade Union. The registered office is 266, Gray's Inn Road. The Registrar has no authority under the Trade Union Acts to make inquiry into the facts of the case or to institute any proceedings other than those for enforcing the Return. The Society is not a Friendly Society of any kind, but is a Trade Union for certain defined objects. I think that my hon. Friend has done a public service in calling attention to the question.
§ MR. MACDONAI thank the right lion. Gentleman for his answer. Is he aware that Mr. Glew offers to give tramway men, for the sum of Is. a year, the best legal advice possible in all cases? Is it not within his province to warn the members of Friendly Societies against these things? Will he, in order to prevent the working classes being swindled in this manner, have the answer that he has just given made public?
§ * SIR J. T. HIBBERTThe answer will be sent up to the Press Gallery, and no doubt the newspapers will take notice of it.