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14
which were given to him to enable him in turn to rear, educate and train
the succeeding generation. When he has failed to do this through premature
death, he has failed in his alloted part in the scheme of life, and, therefore, all
the money spent on him has not been merely lost but also wasted. In other
words, the human machine like any other machine is a failure if it breaks
down at the time it is most required, and the money spent on it is so much
money thrown away.
a working man's question.
The Friendly Societies of this country, which may be truthfully said to
represent the most thrifty of the artizans, are fully alive to the great financial
losses which are inflicted on them annually by the loss of life through the
disease, and are fully intent to do their utmost to prevent its spread amongst
their members; and so far from resenting the intrusion of Public Health
Officials among their members to teach and instruct them how they might
prevent the disease, would hail their visits with delight.
At Manchester in 1902, a Conference, at which the representatives of 27
Friendly Societies, representing 3,620,488 members, paying nearly 2½ millions
of money for sickness, and over half a million for funerals annually, assembled
and appointed a sub-committee to attend the Congress then about to be held
in London with reference to the cure and prevention of tuberculosis, and also
resolved that "The Committee of the Conference appoint a Sub-Committee to
deal with the question in the interests of the members of our Societies." The
result of these decisions was that the Sub-Committee attended the Congress,
and afterwards visited Germany with a view of seeing what was being done
there in preventing Consumption, while the Committee brought up a report to
the National Conference of Friendly Societies held at Sheffield in 1903, at
which it was resolved "that the reports of the Societies be considered at the
Special Meeting of the Conference to be held in the autumn, with a view to
determine the best way of co-operating with the National Association for the
Prevention of Consumption." Thus we see that the Friendly Societies as a
whole are seriously considering this great question.
The Ancient Order of Foresters on their own behalf are also moving, and
last year (1903) a return was presented to their High Court at Sheffield, the
importance of which may be judged by the fact that it dealt with three and
three-quarters million vears of lives, of which 2,271,822 were those of benefit
members, and 1,028,337 of wives and widows of members. The return related
to the deaths that occurred in the United Kingdom in the five years 1897-1901
and are very remarkable,