The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-05-24
The English Ironmouldsrs' Society.

lish ironmoulders' society Just issued, We
take the following extracts
elm bringing before your notice the an
nual report Of our proceedings for the
sixty-third year, it gives us great pleasure
. to be able to say that 1872 has been one Of
the best years that have been experienced
in the history Of our society Our mem
bers have been better employed, as well as
better enumerated than at any other
period In our existence And 1t has been
well it has been so; otherwise, what with
the high rates charged for all the common
necessaries Of life, our position as men
with families would have been intolerable
, That We have to some extent been enabled
to obviate these difficulties is accounted for
by the fact that We have a good. solid
strong, and compact society; and as we
have looked around us, and seen large
bodies Of men without union having to put
up with Whatever wages their employers
thought tit to pay them, We have felt CRATE
, ful to the energy and perseverance Of those
pioneers Of our trade who. amidst good and
evil report, stood firm to the principles of
union, and lef; behind them an organiLa-
tlon unsurpassed for usefulness and bene
bit to ITS members by any other society of
the sort in the world.
Let as glance over the past year in
come and expenditure. In the hrst place
let ms take the amount paid for contribu
tion during 1872 and We shall find IT to
be f26, 439 3. td., compared with last
year t2S, ia As. 4 3D.. OF less by II ,695-
2s, cd. but it must be borne in mind that
there Was an extra levy made for ~ weeks
at Cd. per week, and I'd. per week for 10
weeks, during 1871. while during 1872 the
"a. levy was only made during the month
Of January, and the remaining eleven
months Of the year the contribution was
only the ordinary sum Of Is. per week eX-
elusive of the accident levy but if we add
together the amount received for contribu-
ton and accident during 1872, We shall
lind 1t to be t:}O, so los I'D, whilst in
1871 for both items il was f2S, ST. Is. y
ii 3D., or an increase IN 1872 Of e., ,0J9 IS
5d. This, We think, speaks well for our
growing unity and increasing power Of use
tulness- There has been paid for entrance
money, during the past year. t., }S4 6s.-
lOd., compared with El $50 SIS ! Ia
last year, or an increase in that item Of
fb9I lSs I'D. Another important item
IN our income is our annual and monthly
reports II will be seen that we have re-
ceved for these items f325 ls 95d, while
their cost was t:I44 Is Cd, thus showing
cost over income by expenditure Of E19-
As. : Sd, but although at first sight this
may appear a loss, yet We consider, in
another sense, II is great gain, AS we
have been enabled by it to give a monthly
Of eight pages throughout the year, instead
OF four, thereby posting our members well
up III the general working Of the society
Bank interest is the next item we
come to, which we shall find to be f33l-
l4s I'd, as against f39 Is. in 1871, which
shows us plainly that 1t takes some time Of
good, steady trade before We are enabled
to realize much from the item Of bank in
terest
n Let us now glance at the expenditure
which will bear comparison with any year
IN any period of our history. The first
thing t. draw our attention. and which il
the main feature IN our organization, II
that Of blank cards and donation. which Is
set down for the year as ~ SS1 .Js 81. AS
compared with e., Az Is I'd for 1871. a
decrease Of E2.l59 los Id . or an average
cost 0f I'd. per week per member for the
whole uf the year. Now, when We com
pare this with the cost for 1865, which was
over Is. Id, per member per week ur
1863, which was Is. sd We can only
say the change is wonderful II u
something glorious to be able To say
that 1872 has cost us less for unem-
ployed labor than any year since lo4S
a period Of 70 years Take the next best
year ia that period which was 1853,
and We shall find that. with an average Of
only 4,9o4 members, 1t cost us for donation
~, ,92S Us 55d while in 1872. with an
] ..f1 4 f..r
benefit, only t2. Ss1 Is Sd Ii has indeed
been a good year, and we hope 1873 may
be something like it,
The next item is that Of sickness, and
here we have not exactly the same cause
for rejoicing. The amount paid was g..
l53 Is. 4d., or rather under q per mem
Der per week, and 1888 I9s Id more than
the previous wear We must, of course
expect a. our numbers increase so also will
our liabilities, 80 there is not much cause
t. complain If We turn from the superan-
nuatlon benefit, We shall also find there a
slight increase. There has been paid in
, 1872, e., 2;i6 is lOd., as compared with
81, 1872 9s I'd. for 1871. or an increase of
/ t444 =. 81, at cost per member Of
rather under ~ per week
q For funerals We have paid, during the
. L
; the previous year, ~ slightly under "a.
per member per week.
cur .|,rndIture for accidents has
been, dur. the year, Egl4 Us. ID. This
has been full, met. and the old debt paid
III ny the leyirS during the year, As will
IT, fully shown ID the account ~ TIE acci-
dent fund
The working expenses, for printing,
stationery, officers salaries, postage and
parcels, rent of rooms, bank expenses del
egations, and various other incidentals,
, amount in the gross to about e. 1919, If
about vi per cent. the nett income or
. the year but if We take the set-otf. ia the
shape of cash returned for reports, cases
postage, bank interest, etc, we shall then
reduce the working expenses to something
like I'll ,44O, or under 3D. per week per
member and we are bold enough to affirm
that there is no institution Of the same
magnitude as our own worked for less
expenditure. Or on more economical prin-
ciples.
THE number Of members as returned
, by the various branches, has been I34
, during 1872. a. compared with ,J23 du-
ring 1871 II will also be seen that the in
crease in number during the year has been
, ,23l, while the number excluded has been
378, as compared with 3773 in ls7 these
things speak very well as t. the state and
condition Of the society. ll5 members
, and - members wives have died during
the year this is about the average u the
past few years, or about three more in both
sexes than last year.
Having referred to other subjects. the
report concludes thus " And, now.
brother members, having laid before you
} our report for 1872, as concise and correct
as we possibly can, allow us to repeat a