The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1909-08-06
Labor Organizations Advancing
In Great Britain.
THE TENDENCY is UPWARD.
Unemployed Payments and Other
Large Financial Outlays Give Seri-
Gus Thought to Labor Leaders-The
Superannuation Problem.

the one Side and able to express them
selves as political entity of un.
doubted power on the other
A few facts may not be out of place
first of all TO show the present extent
of trades unionist organization. The
latest figures show that the number
Of separate unions In this country is
close on 1920. This figure need not
be regarded unduly high, but it of
course means there are far too many
| Independent and uncomected unions
catering for the same trade. The ag-
gregate membership of these separate
unions Is far more vital factor 1t
amounts to 2,406, 746 This is an in
crease in three years Of over 100000.
The relative advance Of retrogressiun
in the unioniZation of certain trades Is
interesting and we find that In the
latest three years covered by statis-
tics the coal mining union membership
Increased just over 40 per cent and
the textile unions did even better by
increasing In three years by about Al
per cent.
About one-twelfth of our trades
unionists are women and girls, 50 per
cent of these being found In the tex
tile trades, the cotton industry alone
accounting for 70 per cent. Female
trades unions show an increase fo IN,
last three years of 81 per cent.
Along with this general increase In
membership there has also been an in
crease in financial strength-very natu-
raj In view of the fact that serious
strike troubles have, on the whole.
been fairly absent.
Taking a survey of decade, we find
that the membership of these unions
increased in the ten years from $780,
600 to $4,000 Their income increas-
ed in the same period from S9,500000
to nearly S12, 100000, their expenditure
from 100000 to $l0250,0 900 and their
reserve funds from an aggregate of
S13 100000 TO considerably over $685.
100000, these funds representing ten
years ago $40 per member and now
nearly 500.
1t is. of course. in the growing cost
OF unemployed payments and the
equally growing burden of accident
and pension benefit that the big finan-
cial problems of the unions are to be
faced. A survey of the past ten years
covers all kinds of periods, whether
Of good or bad trade or industrial war
or peace. The average expenditure on
dispute benefit has been 10 Ier cent
Of the total expenditure per annum,
the figure having been as high as %
per cent in 1898 and as low as 6 per
cent in 1904, the figure for the last re-
corded year 190S) being well below
the average
With regard to the payments on un-
employed account, the average Of the
ten years has been just upon % per
cent. The actual payments Of the
ceeded 20 per cent and were frequent
~ a long way below that percentage
AS a matter of fact, ignoring years Of
absolute record, bad trade the present
ratio of expenditure on out of work
pay tends to become normally what it
once was abnormally.
The decline in strikes and disputes
is of course a result of the increasing
use of methods of Cancellation and ar
bitration in settling dispute questions
but 1t IS still uncertain as to how far
these Cancellation methods would stand
the strain If any deep seated trouble
approximation is a problem by it.
self which does not appear to have
been touched by the granting of gov
eminent pensions to aged people, and
the increasing sickness and the In
crease Of accidents among the indus
trial workers are facts which become
more prominent every year There is
no space here to go into these matters
deeply, but they will no doubt be
touched upon in subsequent articles as
they become particularly pressing In
current affairs.
Federations Of trades unions exist all
over the country and very frequently
the evil of the multiplicity Of unions
In one trade Is partly overcome by the
overlapping unions having common
working agreement in the form Of
more or less loose federation. The
leading federation Of all Is Of course
the General Federation Of Trades
Unions, whose membership Is over
100000, built up Of fOrty-One engineer
Ing shipbuilding and metal trade
unions, twentyeight textile and cloth
Ing trades unions, eight dock and gen
eral labor unions ten building trades
and quarrying unions and Twenty-Five
unions covering the printing, wood
working. glass; pottery and miscel.
laneOus trades. Miners are Of course
represented in their own big fedora
tlOn, the Miners Federation Of Great
Britain
The General Federation of Trades
Unions Is the most promising of all the
declarations, as it Is based on the cor
rect federation idea-that idea which
looks forward to all trades standing
shoulder to shoulder throughout the
country under one leader and with one
policy, that policy being the defense
OF the existing rights of all and the
securing always and ever OF additional
rights.-Thomas Reece In American
Federationist.
Heavy Tips.
"Yes." said the laxative barber. "in
recent years we BARRIERS expect tips"
IN give you three" sputtered the
man In the chair as he blew the latheI
out OF his mouth.
lyon are very kind air.
Yes, I'll give you a tip that this