The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-04-21
WORKERS PENSIONS.
What the Printers Are Doing Along
This Line.

The International Typographical
union has ever been found foremost
in the advocacy and Introduction of
measures for the benefit Of the toll
er. In many fields Of innovation 1t
has taken the first step. This is
true of it's determination to provide
by a system of assessment among its
own membership pensions for the
aged and dependents Of its ranks.
The experimentation it is looked up
on as such by those who are in
touch with the trade union move
ment-is the object of deep interest
on the part of all labor leaders. II
it proves a success the example will
be followed undoubtedly by other
international organizations. A sys-
TEN of pensioning worthy members
may become at no far distant day
one of the most important features
of the labor movement in this coun-
try. 1t all depends upon the out
come of the efforts Of the Typograph-
ical union.
So important is this matter that
State Commissioner of Labor John
Williams of New York State devoted
considerable space to it in his bull
letion of labor statistics. Commls-
sioner Williams remarks:
"The progress Of this effort of the
associated journeymen printers will
be viewed with Interest by national
unions of other trades, and if the
plan is successful the movement to
provide a stipulated allowance for
members in their declining years,
thus obviating the dread of penury,
will doubtless become general among
associations of labor in the United
States
The experiment has been in oper-
alton for eight months, and there
are 476 pensioners on the rolls.
During the eight months s120,224--
Sc was collected and s19,193.o1
paid in pensions.
An analysis of the age Of the pen
sioners develops the notable fact that
2S0, or 5S.S per cent Of them, are
between sixty and seventy years; III
or SO per cent are septuagenarians,
and twenty-one, or S per cent, are
octegenarians, while one is a non
agenarian. The latter member is
affiliated with "Big Six" of New
York city. In spite of his years he
can still write firm hand and thus
expressed his appreciation in a let
ter written to the clerk of the ben
eft board: "On the 1st day Of No
vember next (1908), God willing, I
shall then enter my ninety-fourth
year and my seventy-third as typo
unionist, forty-two Of which I have
spent as a member of New York
Typographical union-'Big Six.
deem it an honor and great bless
ing that the officials of the Inter-
national Typographical union deem
ed me worthy of being placed upon
the pension fund.- Among the pen
sioners is one woman who is sixty
two years old and who has been a
member Of typographical unions for
thirty-two consecutive years.
While the Amalgamated Society of
Engineers and the Amalgamated So
ciety of Carpenters and Joiners, both
with headquarters in England, have
for long period paid pensions to
their old members, "the first distinc-
lively American trade organization"
in the language of Commissioner
Williams, to inaugurate an old age
pension for its members is the IN
ternational Typographical union.
The enterprise is worthy one.
There is nothing SO commendable as !
the care of the infrm and the aged. I
In European countries the pension
system has proved of great benefit.
It is a species of insurance to a man
against want and absolute depen-
dency in his declining years. 1t
gives the vigorous and the healthy
and the prosperous an opportunity
to set aside for themselves fund
that will aid them on the final
stretch Of life's span when they will
have possibly neither the ability nor
the opportunity of providing for
themselves. It is worthy cause,
and the typographical union should
meet with the greatest measure of
success in it's efforts.