§ MR. JACKS (Stirlingshire)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury if any steps have been taken to prevent a repetition of the cases of the Royal Liver Friendly Society recently brought under his notice; if his attention has been called to a report in the Darwin paper of the 14th instant, where similar acts seem to have been committed by the Yorkshire Provident Life Assurance Company; if he is aware that such experiences are having a very bad influence on the more thrifty of the working community; and if he will have such steps taken as will put an end to such illegal courses?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Sir J. T. HIBBERT,) OldhamI have been in communication with the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies on this question, and I am informed that the managers of the Royal Liver Friendly Society have undertaken to do all they can to discourage misrepresentation by their agents. The case to which my hon. Friend now calls attention appears to be essentially different from that of the Royal Liver, being apparently a case of illegal assurance made void by the Gambling Act, 14 Geo. 3, c. 58; but as it seems that the decision of the Magistrates is to be appealed against, it would scarcely be proper to comment upon it. No doubt such experiences might ultimately have a bad influence on the more thrifty of the working community, but, so far as they tend to discourage the effecting of illegal insurances, to that extent the effect would not be prejudicial. Under the existing law no offence is committed by a company which grants an illegal policy on the life of an adult; no steps can, therefore, be taken to put an end to such illegal courses without further legislation, though such legislation would, I think, be highly desirable.