CLAIM AGAINST A FRIENDLY SOCIETY.

Thomas Clark, an elderly labouring man, residing at Malmesbury, sued John Cooper, treasurer of the Three Cups Inn Friendly Society, Malmesbury, and Richard Chappell and Samuel Curtis, stewards of the club, for 36s., arrears of sick pay at 4s. a week.—Mr. T. H. Chubb, for the prosecution, said his client joined the club 38 years ago, and had continued his payments up to last June. He had been ill from chronic rheumatism two years ago, and received 6s. per week for 26 weeks, and 4s. per week ever since up to nine weeks ago, but the members now said he was not ill, but incapacitated from work through old age, for which the society did not provide.—Mr. Edmund Arthur White, the medical officer of the club, proved attending the complainant more than two years, and gave him the last certificate on the 31st July. His disease was chronic rheumatism and severe bronchial attacks. He had worked very hard all his life, and been much exposed, and he had no doubt that he would never be able to work again, although he might live for years.—Clark deposed to being 72 years of age next birthday, and had been a member of the club 38 years. He felt the rheumatic worse in change of weather. If he had no rheumatism he thought he might do light work.—For the defence Mr. Cooper said they objected on behalf of the club to pay under the new rules, which did not provide payment for old age. The club had broken up since complainant had started and since the old rules were made. He (Cooper) was not a member of the old society. He had only been in the club 24 years. The new rules were dated 1854 and were not registered.—Mr. Chubb contended that the club was still legally under the old rules of which he produced a copy and which were registered.—After a long and patient hearing of the case, the Bench decided that complainant was not entitled to receive benefit, as he was incapacitated from work through old age, but advised the officers to get their society registered.