§ Mr. Chaterasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the annual meeting of the St. James-the-Less (Bethnal Green) Sick, Burial, and Annual Division Society decided to change the name of their organisation to the St. James-the-Less Dividing and Approved Society; whether he has seen no objection to the change; and whether, seeing that the Registrar of Friendly Societies has declined to register the use of the word approved, on the ground that some other friendly societies who are not engaged on National Health Insurance might object, he will say under what Section of the Act this decision of the Registrar was taken and whether it has his approval?
§ Lieut.-Colonel ColvilleThe Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies was informed by the society in December last that the annual general meeting had passed a resolution to change the name of the society to "St. James-the-Less Dividing and Approved Society." Section 69 of the Friendly Societies Act, 1896, provides that a registered society may change its name, with the approval of the Chief Registrar. The Chief Registrar thus has a statutory discretion in the matter and I see no reason to intervene.