The log cabin Democrat., 1909-09-23
Enulish Building Trade Unions.


 According to an article on British trade unions by Hans Fehlinger in the current issue of the Bricklayer and Mason the official journal of the Bricklayers' and Masons' international union, as compared with 1898 all the main groups of trades in Great Brl- tain, except the building group, which has declined l7 per cent. and the clothing group, which has declined two per cent, show a large growth in mem bership. The relative increase was smallest in the metal engineering and shipbuilding trades, where it amounted to 2l per cent. In the printing trades the increase was 25 per cent, in the textile trades 47 per cent, and in the mining and quarrying group 92 per cent.
 In the transport group, unions of railway servants more than doubled their membership, while other trans port trades increased by onefourth. Unions of employees of public authori- ties have increased in membership by 90 per cent and unions of shop as sistants by nearly 300 per cent. The increase Of the remaining unions aver aged 2S per cent
 A table is given in the article, re- lating to the unions of building trades and changes in their membership. It shows that in 1898 the number of unions of laborers was 55, with 36. 1S0 members, and Sl unions of skilled workmen, with l95 S60 members. In 1899 there were 5S unions of laborers, with 39,9l9 members, and 7S unions of skilled workmen, with 210,069 mem berS. In 1900 there were 56 unions of laborers, with 3S, 926 members, and "A unions of skilled workmen, with 214,- 4oG members. In 1901 there were 57 unions of laborers, with 37 ,526 mem bers, and 70 unions of skilled work men, with 211 Al members. In 1902 the number of union laborers was 52, with 33,i75 members, and the number of unions of skilled workmen was 6S with q ,966 members. In 1903 the number of unions of laborers was 51, with 2S.90l members, while the num- Der of unions of skilled workmen was CT, with 209. .240 members. The num- Der of unions of laborers in 1904 was 51, with membership of 25,0S1, while there were SO unions of skilled work men. with 200,06S members The number of unions of laborers in 1905 was 51. with 17971 members, and the number of unions of skilled workmen was 54 with a membership of 1S7,20S The number of unions of laborers in 1905 was AS, with a membership of 16,494, while there were 53 unions of skilled workmen, with 179,99S mem bers In 1907 the number of unions of laborers was 24 with a membership of l5 ,233, and the number of unions of skilled workmen was 53, with mem bership of 177,957,
 In commenting on this table, the article says: The decline of mem bership in the building trade unions, which has synchroniZed with years of considerable depression in the indus try. was proportionately greater in the case of laborers than in the case Of skilled workmen, but even with skilled workmen the falling off was considerable, especially in 1905. Dur irg the three years. 1905-1907, the Op- orative Bricklayers society lost 1000 members, and the two principal unions of masons lost 10000 members be tween them. The Amalgamated So ciety of Carpenters and Joiners showed a net decline of 2000 in total membership. notwithstanding an ex- certionally large increase t6,000l in the number of it's members outside the United Kingdom. The national paint CTS was the only important union in this group of trades which increased it's membership during 19O5-1907"