Sir Stafford Northcote is not gaining ground as a statesman.
His Friendly Societies' Bill, which was discussed on Thurs- day night, is not merely a compromise, but a see-saw,—an embodiment of inconsistent ideas. The Bill is approved both by the Societies which are afraid of being too closely in- quired into, and by those who wish to have some security that those Societies shall be closely inquired into. In other words, it is approved by those who see that it will give the appearance of doing much, and will actually do little. It provides for a periodical audit of accounts in the case of registered Societies, but not necessarily by Government officers ;—the Societies may choose their own auditors, if they please. In other words, the Society will win confidence by registering itself a, if it had some sort of Government sanction, which confidence it may abuse by appoint- ing unfit persons as auditors who will not audit efficiently. In Mr. Lowe's words, the Bill "sets the cat to look after the cream." Nor does the Bill give these Societies the power to sue and be sued, a provision on which Mr. Lowe very justly insisted, on Thursday night, as one of the most important securities consistent with leaving the Societies to manage their own affairs which the poor contributors to them could have. On the whole, the Bill really seems to have gained popularity by appearing to do so much that the poor will have confidence in it, and actually doing so little that the Societies themselves will not be afraid of its provisions. The Bill was read a second time without a division.
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