The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-01-29

The Power Loom Weavers (Blackburn),
5000.
Another large and interesting body is the
National Association of Coal-mine and
Ironstone Miners of Great Britain" or
Miners National Association" the
Transactions Of whose I" General Confer
ence" at Leeds in November, 1868, form
volume Of LAT pages, published in London
(Longmans) and Leeds. No more valuable
document an be consulted as to the spirit
of selfheIp which is stirring amongst our
working classes. The districts represented
were Northumberland and Durham, Mid
dlesboreugh-ou-Tees, West Y Yorkshire, South
Yorkshire, Wigan, East Worcestershire
and South Stafordshie, west Of Dudley,
South Stafordshire, North StafFordshire,
West Bromw.- !. Worsley, Farnworth and
Kearsley, South Wales, North Wales,
Willeuball and Wednesday,, and Darlas-
ton. Among ssle officers elected was even
% cSs%kid. tho Rey j. Fl. Stephens, and
amongst other resolutions was one " That
the Exec i've be empowered to make levies
from the members to carry on the business
of the Association the sum in hand at one
time never to be less than f100 or more
than 9l ,0O0." This body, as already OBJ
served, is in the nature Of federation Of
trade societies, and its present figure Of
$4,000 members (which we are assured is
far within the mark includes bodies of con-
siderable magnitude in themselves, such as
the South Yorkshire Miners Associa-
ton" and the " Derbyshire and Noting
hamshire Miners" both represented at the
Manchester Conference, the one for 5000,
the other for 1000 members.
Again, the Engine Drivers and Fire
mems United So,iety," a body which has
lately risen into prominence, numbers now
GA branches, about $4,000 men, and has
over fl, $40 year income.
! The eighteen bodies above enumerated
will be found alone to comprise POI 500
members, and besides these maGy large 50
cietles exist, which were represented al none
OF the Conferences referred to, nor have vet
come forward for examination before the
Trades Unions Conferences. At least
100000 men belonging to the smaller
bodies must have remained unrepresented
throughout. No temptation TO exaggerate
the number Of members existed, since the
expenses Of such Conferences are defrayed
by capitation levy. The trade society
men themselves estimate their number at
100000; we shall certainly be 1zder the
mark it we reckon them at 100000.
But even the amalgamated societies them
selves do not give measure Of the power
Of organization, the capacity for social ac-
ton, manifested by the working man in this
his own peculiar province. Many towns
have local associations, formed Of distinct
societies. Such are the London Trades
Council, representing 10000 men the
Sheffield Association of Organized Trades, :"
comprising 5000 men and 33 trades the
''Amalgamated Trades Of Preston" the
Associated Trades Of Hyde" the "Asso-
citation Of Organized Trades Of Derby" the
Bristol Associated Trades" the Halifax
Trades Council" the Organized Trades
Of Nottingham, " the " Tailors. Shoemakers,
Bricklayers and Plasterers" Of Barrow-on-
Furness, the /" United Trades Protection
Association Of Liverpool, the United
Trades of Warrington, the "WoIver-
hampton Trades Council, all of them
represented at the Sheffield Conference.
Some of these bodies are Of old standing !;
thus we have before us the twelfth annual
report, for 1878, of the =" Liverpool
Trades Guardian Association" which we
presume to be the same as the present
United Trades PROTECTION Association Of
Liverpool above noticed. Another old
established body Of the same description,
not represented at the earlier Conferences,
the " Glasgow Council of United Trades"
5000 members. which rendered efficient
service to the Trade Societies Committee
Of the Social Science Association in its in-
vestigations, made its appearance in St.
Martins Hall with ten others, mostly named
already, but including the important
" Manchester and Stafford Trades Council
10000 members.
These Conferences, whether Of single
trades as a whole, or Of many trades to-
gether, which are held, sometimes at stated
intervals, sometimes only on specific occa-
sIons, are no less interesting than their
standing organizations Besides the Miners
Conference above referred to. the report Of
the Committee on Trades Societies Of the
Social Science Association above quoted
tells US Of a Conference of Shipwrights
which met in London from the 23d to the
9th June, 1858, to form the @ United
Kingdom Amalgamated Society Of Ship
wrlghts." at which fity-four delegates at
tended from thirty-ive ports, representing
IN all IL, 766 members The :" Flint Glass
Makers Friendly Society's" rules we're re-
vlsed at Conference held in June, 1853.
Still more remarkable, however, were the
three General Conferences above men
toned at Sheffield, July, 1866, where &C
credited delegates attended for societies
comprising from 180, 900 to 2O0,0 900 men,
and where g National Association Of Or
ganl1ed Trades" at present termed the
United Kingdom Alliance of Organized
Trades" was founded at Manchester,
January, 1867, held BY the last named
body, at which SO $50 men were represent
ed the Trades Conference in St. Martin :
Hall, March, 1867, at which upwards of
l92,OOO we're represented the figures. as
above pointed out. being probably in gen
han above the mark. Whether
the general federation Of the United King
dom Alliance Of Organized Trades will be
able to hold its ground (similar attempts in
former years having failed), remains to be
seen. Compared with he figures with
which we have been dealing, II i no. vet Of
great importance, since by February 13. as
we learn from the preface to its rules, lust
published, it comprised only 6S trades, and
81 .203 members for whom entrance fee had
been paid Still the fact remains that about
in 10 Of the 5 to zoo, 900 society men Of
this country belongs by this time to larger
federation embracing the body of which he