Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-05-08

9Ea4 4g,472, the heads under whicleit was
distMbnt4d being: Members out Of emz
plaEAenr 814,076; to sick mem beg 9s
ZHb 81; superanuated Hler1b bers 4me M
beFAF who are too old to 8ainEtbe oFaina1g
ratego wages at trade, betslE hllO lOWea rs, t0
9s. ESWeeK each), 85,1S4 TTss go. Won the
deaths Of members and members wives,
S4,SS7, and the sum of 41,S00 among
eighteen members who met with accidents
and were unable to follow the trade.'
From these data 1t wilitbe yeen that sueh
an association can be we'll Supplied with
funds at Avery little cost to eaahzaiRaias
vidual. In order, however, to restrain the
propensity for striking without good cause
the system of arbitration was substituted,
In this arbitration, however, the employ
ers have no voice. The merits of the case
are judged by council of the society.
d" Mr.. Hughes asked. 1T is very difficult
for strike to happen in your society, 1 be-
Heve? What measures have men to take,
for example, before they can strike in your
society? The witness answered: They
have TO represent their grievances to the
committee of their branch. In town
where there is more than one branch there
Is what Is called district committee, COM
posed OF seven members from the different
branches, or more In proportion to the
number of branches in the district; and
instead of the branch committee dealing
with the question, the district committee
deals with it, because there is a larger rep
resentation. For instances, here in London
we have a district committee composed of
twenty-four members, because, We have
twenty-fours branches in the district, and
when any dispute arises in the district the
whole twenty of the branches are rep-
resented. thus bringing about a proper un-
der standing in relation to the question at is
sue, and affording better opportunity for
arriving at satisfactory conclusion Mr.
Hughes-'Therefore. unless approved in
the first place by the branches of their own
town, and in the second place by the cen-
tral executive councils no members of your
trade can striker iWitness-'No. or at
least they ought not to strike Mr.. Hughes
-sBut, as the ordinary rule, they would
require to get first the consent of their own
branch and then that of the. executive
councilp Witness-'Yes, where there was
time.'a Mr.. Hughes-'And upon the con-
sent of the executive council being given,
the men would go out aud get their allow
ance? Witness-'Y Yes.'" ~.
/ -. LErom. the London Times of April14l 73.
The Secretary of the Friendly Society of
Operative Masons states that the gross total
of men in the society last November was
1872, and its income for the twelvemonth
endipg the Both of that month amounted to
SI7,746 As. II I'D. and had fund in hand
at the last audit of 912,234 0s. SID. There
are branches of the society in all parts of
England and Wales, but there are more in
Scotland, the number of branches altogeth-
er being 27S. The benefits of the society
are the payment of a weekly sum when
tout of works for ''trade purposes" and
funeral and sick benefits to those members
who subscribe a weekly sum of 3115d. to the
sick fund in addition to the Id. a week TO
the ''traden fund. In answer to the chair
man, Sir VIM. Erie, the witness declared
that minimum wage was fixed for dis
trictS, and if any member worked below that;
sum he subjected himself to fine, which
fine is repeated so long as he continues so to
work and he is subjected to all the penal
ties of being excluded from the society so
long as these fines remain unpaid. The
society, too, "does not recognize piece
work." and any member who takes it, SO
that, in fact, he may reap the profits of his
own abilities as a workman. is subject to
the same penalties as a man who works
below the fixed wages. The witness as
serted that there was no restriction placed
on the number of apprentices employed by
a master; but in answer to Lord ElchO and
Mr.. Matthews, it was elicited that the
:" workmen in the shop" regulate the num-
Der of apprentices master may keep. If
the workmen think the master has too
many, they complain to the lodge, and
I" generally delegate goes from the lodge"
and tells the master, who has, sin this re-
spect, mo voice in the matter. If the mas
ter refused to entertain the views OF the
men, there would, the witness supposed,
'"be.a disturbance or dispute in that case;"
but there had g never been suspension in
consequencesof that"