The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-02-01

w ttt# ktA h8N GIMNt&fDQt8If INV uGN&A ~
understood to say thai be ever grappled with
the question how much will meet the ccntin-
sencies arising out Of strikes. Az ] have
already said, strike OF our trade objects ana I
you cut af our heads.
ST. y. 6ooch--Ifa man looks TO the fu- I
ture, which every one 10 entitled TO do in I
paying his IL. week, IL he looks forward, |
say TO the next twenty-five years, surprising !.
the actuary is sight IN saying that the Is. .
week does not or VIII not, at the end OF
twenty-five years, meet the experimentation
allowances which will be permanent after
that time, because every man that goes into
the society next year may then be receiving
superann1stion how do they mean to prot
vide for that permanent charge IL the Is.
week not TO do it? We should provide 10 this
way: tit is wei understood that all such
cases 10 every hsds society in existence are
provided for By levy, il the Contributions
proved insufficient.
But the test has never been applied 10 the
men, whether, IL the permanent charge were
2s. I'd. week instead Of Is. a week, those
men who paid formerly Is. would contribute
2s Cd. 2 | believe they would do it, II II
came TO that. The funds cs the engineers,
we find, have increased to a fabulous amount,
they have Gao. 900 or ESQ, 900 at Ibe pre-
sent time, aud $1,000 or $4,000 members
contributing Is. week likewise.
Lord Elcho-Are you aware Of a case which
somewhat illustrates the position which you
have taken up, that recently rose out Of the
I Barnsley accident The case, as have heard
| it., is this, that a benefit society Of miners
I there held out certain prospective benefits to
| those who subscribe, amongst others pay
n.ent to widows, SO much a week, and 10
children In proportion. This accident, TAX
ing away at once the lives OF some three
hundred men and upwards, caused snch a
strain on the funds that the funds werl una
able to meet the demand, and they could Cot
fulfill on the ordinary subscriptions the pro
misses which they held out they, therefore,
&c nm.aed u make extraor iinary levies a
their own members. and they have appealed
TO the other trade societies throdgout the
lkingdsm | am aware Of that.
Perhaps your society has beer appealed
to, Il has been appealed 20 and contributed
cheerfuliy too.
So that in such cases TIL members Of such
societies are not only liable 10 extra levies "a
meet The demands Of Their own societies. bot
possibly NAV have extra levies to meet be
tAt00lithCo VI OtutI ooCaCttSc c.. ivy Nui'
IL understand that, and there is nothing trey
do more eheerfuly than they 40 that. int
desire Just to say that believe that when
the miners entered into tneIr CALCULATIONS, a.
to what accident Der, fits they cOald pay for
certain sums of money, they acted under ths
suppOsItion that the inspectors Of the mine.
would do their duty, and It is very clear &
me from what | have read and know Of tbs
~. A 4
from the gross neglect 0 the miLirg inspec-
tors who are pad out of the pockets Of th,
h2-epayers.
Mr.. BOoth-Snpposing that at the end @
twenty years from this time when your su.
perahnnatio: allowances begin 10 be payAbl,
the society proves TO be 81 insplyent soci
ETY. (? Yes, believe thew would bur can
not imagir' a state OF things Of THAI kind, be
cause there will certainly be many more
young men eL.er than there viii be old me
on the superannuation fund.
Il am merely assuming that the actuary j.
right IN DIS calculation. and that II is posi-
bic that at that period your society may
prove insolVent, you tt nk that II It did olhe
societies would come II hid Of your society
II such a thing occurred, 4 believe they would
from the fact that We have rendered ia tn,
past, and will, believe, in the future rendel
assistance when asked. | never knew a trad,
society in my life that failed for want o
help.
Lord Elcho-Your society answered tn
appeal in the Barnsiey cases Yes, we cor
tributed, and cheerfully
Did you contribute out Of your ordinary
lundsa Out Of our contingent fund.
Mr.. Hugugs-Wn en you say that you hav
had 20 experience In this matter, wish 4
know whether any special levies have LeeI
made during your seer staryshp in yoa-- so
cietyf There never Las boon any levy dur
! ing The society's existence.
Earl OF Lichhe.G-Do you not think tina
that case 70 which you have just adverted
was case for a levy to be made when 40
other society through fearful accident suct
as that which occurred at Bsrnsley appealed
to you for assistance The Contingent iunC
is intended to assist members in cases OF ex
treme distress aud other trades.
But you have no doubt that your mem
bers would at the time willingly have assisted
those persons in distress if they had beer
askedf They would.
Would it not have been far better TO an
peal to them as individuals rather than tax.
1t out Of q fund subscribed for ano her pur
poser But 1t was subscribed for that pur
pose.
win you tell us what the fund is exactly
1t is contingent and benevolent fund
The rule tells you, suppose, what may b,
done with the contingent iuad Just let u,
hear what the rule saysf "In tue event o.
an application to the executive council b,
! other trades for assistance the general soci
ETY. shall obtain information Respecting tn,
Y same, aud on the executive counci. being a.
tis6ed Of the-genuineness of the case, shal
iran. such assistance as the state Of the
Is may warrant, or as the case may, il
opinion, deserve"
is under that rule that you granted tha
iey out Of The contingent fund Yes
4 our reason In making the grant was tina
ey wanted it Immediately, but the mem
rs subscribed voluntarily throughout ths
ciety without our asking for H.
10 those cases II is left to the executive
ounoil to say whether they consider that the
und they have is sufficient for the expense.
and to give the grant accordingly. Yea.
With regard 10 some remarks you have
made as to the lega protection which YOU
think these societies ought to have for their
funds, viii you explain to US exactly what
societies you think ought to have that pro
no which you have referred do VIZ
iat all trade socies should h~-ve tina
ticn IL the. r. trade societ
as within itself % = ,alns in its rule
-hich '~.-- ally in opposition to tn
.Alnon law e the country, should thinl
that that would in salidate it 10 asybody'
opinion it would GER 'inly in mine but i
It's object is to increase its members wages
reduce their working hours, and give then
any kind OF benefit 10 addition to that's
long as there is nothing in violation OF the
law Of the land should claim for ali such
societies protection Of the law for the funds
Who do you thick ought to say wheth er
those rules are legal or not with whom do
you think 1t ought to rest to give a.. opinion
@s 70 the Legality or lilegallty Of them Ger
tainly not with any gentleman who holds a
similar potion TO the one that Mr.. Tldd
Pratt does now.
You do nOI mean bv that I sunnosa a.