§ MR. JACKS (Stirlingshire)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has observed the report of an action against the Royal Liver Society, tried in Birmingham on the 30th ultimo, when the evidence was so conclusive that the jury agreed on their verdict without leaving the box, and the Judge, in giving judgment, said a fraud of this kind upon persons in such a position of life was a cruel and unpardonable one; whether he is aware that it is reported such acts are by no means unfrequent; whether he can see his way to amend the law so as better to protect thrifty working people against such conduct as the case discloses; and if this Insurance Society is the same as the Royal Liver Society, whose management was the subject of investigation some short time ago?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Sir J. T. HIBBERT,) (who replied) Oldhamsaid: The answer to the first, second, and fourth paragraphs is, I am informed, in the affirmative, but I should add it is stated in a letter received by the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies that the Committee of Management of the Liver Society were not parties to the proceedings, and that had the facts been known to them they would never have allowed the action to come on for trial. I am not altogether satisfied with this explanation, and I am making further inquiries. I doubt whether this case by itself has any very important bearing on the question of the necessity of the amendment of the law relating to Friendly Societies. The Bill introduced by the late Government, and based on the recommendations of the Select Committee of 1889, did not pass into law; and I fear that the course of Government business during the present Session precludes any possibility of introducing a Bill this year.
§ In reply to a further question,
§ SIR J. T. HIBBERTsaid: I have already told the hon. Member that the information supplied by the Royal Liver Society has not quite satisfied me. I will, of course, further inquire into the matter.