The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-08-08 00:00:00

THE AMALGAZATED SOCIETY OF

RAILWAY SERVANTS.

On Saturday the quarterly meeting of the executive
committee of the Amalgamated Society of Railway
Servants, which extended over four days, was con-
cluded at the head offices of the society, City-road,
the delegate from Leicester being in the chair. The
other delegates present were respectively from Totor,
Bow, Gateshead (21. Sunderland, Cardiff, Tyne Dock,
Pontypool, Leeds, and Wolverhampton. The general
secretary (Mr. E. Harford), in presenting his report,
drew attention to the fact that the society was pro-
gressing both in numbers and funds, a net gain of
460 members being added from the end of last year
to June 30th. The income for the past half-year
showed an increase of about £5OO as compared with
the corresponding period of last year, and the
expenditure an increase of about the same amount,
mainly caused by the greater number of orphans now
being paid weekly allowances—viz., £312, as com-
pared with £l6l during the corresponding period of
last year. The superannuation expenditure was
£862, as compared with £752, and the protection
fund -C73, as compared with OEI4 for the correspond-.
ing period of the previous half,year. The executive
voted a grant of £lO to the Trades Union Congress
Parliamentary Committee, and deputed the Leeds
delegate and the general secretary to represent the
society at the congress in Southport next month. A
resolution was passed to the effect that the executive
viewed with satisfaction the great amount of good that
had been done among the working classes by the co-
operative movement, and recommended all branches
of the society to use their influence in the direction of
establishing co-operative societies where such are not
already in existence. The general secretary stated
that he had drawn the attention of the Board of
Trade to brake failures which had not been reported
by the companies, and the reply he had received was a
most unsatisfactory one. Indeed, it appeared from
the reply that the Board of Trade had no intention
of putting the law in force against the companies.
After discussion, the following resolution was
unanimously passed by the executive: "That this
committee strongly urges upon the Board of Trade
the necessity of putting in force the provisions
of the Railway Returns ( Continuous Brakes)
Act, 1878, in all cases wherein default has been
made by companies omitting to make the returns,
or where some, when made, are inaccurate, or,
to use the words of the Act, 'false in any particular."
The executive appointed four of their number to in-
spect the improved appliances for coupling vehicles
and signalling on railways, now on view at the In-
ventions Exhibition, and they were asked to report
the:eon at the forthcoming annual congress. In re-
lation to this important question, in the interest of the
travelling public Mr. E. Harford stated that he had
drafted and forwarded to Mr. Broadhurst, M.P., a
question, which the hon. gentleman had put to the
representative of the Board of Trade, in the fol-
lowing terms: "Whether, in consequence of the
enormous loss of life and the large number
of non-fatal injuries occurring annually to rail-
way servants engaged in shunting operations, through
the present system of coupling, the Board of Trade
directed the attention of their inspecting officers of
railways to an exhibition of railway-coupling appliances,
Iheld at Darlington, in October, 1882, with instruc-
tions to report thereon; and if so, will a copy of that
report be laid on the table, and will the Board of
Trade depute one or more of their officers to examine
and report upon the various couplings now on view at
the Invention Exhibition; and in the event of any
particular one being approved, will the Board of
Trade recommend its adoption by the companies ? "
The reply to this question was that the Government
inspectors who visited the Darlington Exhibition were
not instructed to report upon it; but with respect to
the inventions Exhibition some of the Board of Trade
inspectors were serving on the juries in the railway
appliances department, and a report would be received
from them later on. Three guineas was voted by the
executive to the Hospital Saturday Fund, and after
the transaction of various details the meeting closed
with a cordial vote of thanks to the Leicester delegate,
, who presided.