The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1943-03-04

industrial situation is the spread of
Trade Unionism. Official figures just
published by the Ministry of Labor
show that the aggregate membership
of the Trade Union stood, at the end
of 1941, at over 100000, which is not
far short of the peak point in trade
union organization reached in the year
1920, when the accumulated increases
of the war years brought the aggregate
membership of all Unions up to S,34S,-
OOO-a total which was literally
halved in the depths of the slump in
employment and trade in the years
between the two great wars.
These official figures have been COM
piled by the Ministry from data sup
piled by the Chief Registrar, whose
business it is to collet statistics relat-
| ing to the Trade Unions and Friendly
Societies. These data bring out the
fact that membership increased in
! 1941 twice as fast as in the previous
wear: and to the 1911 total must, OF
| course, be added the numerical in
creases of 1912. Details of these are
not vet available. 1t is something more
than Il guess that the 1912 increments
will have brought aggregate member
ship certainly up to the peak point
reached in 1920.
The total of 7,090,0G0 recorded at the
end of 1941, was concentrated in 9S3
| Unions, including those of Salaried and
professional workers as well as the
organizations of manual war earners.
The definition of Il Trade Union gov
erning the compilation of these statis-
tics is specifically drawn to include
only those organizations which ara
known to include among their tunc-
tiOns that of negotiating with EN-
plOyers for the regulating of conditions
of employment of their members.
In this strict sense it is interesting
to notice that whilst the number OF
trade unionists is growing, and grow
ing at a rapid date, the number of
Trade Unions is actually decreasing.
There were over Il thousand Unions III
existence at the end of 1899, and the
number in 1911 was 9S3, which in
cludes seven new Unions formed dur
ing the year, and allows for the dis
appearance of four Unions which cea sc
to exist as separate units in conse-
quence of anna carnations with other
Unions.
Phenomenal Rise In Membership
These statistics afford Il measure
ment of the war time increase in
Trade Union membership among both
male and female workers. At the end
| of 1899 in the thousand and more
Unions in existence there were. 5,25S,-
1000 male workers and $4,000 female
members, giving total Of 623O,OO0 as
Il base line for war time increases. The
9S3 Unions existing in 1941 had ut the
end of that year 5,71S,O0O male mem
bers and 1,372,OO0 female members
which means an increase of 46S,O0U
male trade uniOnists and 100000 fe-
male trade uniOnists in the first two
years of the war.
1t must be emphasized again that
the growth in membership of the third
war year, 1912, is not reflected in these
figures. Some Unions in 1912 are
known to have phenomenal additions
to membership.
In New Year message to their
members the Acting General Secretary
of the Transport and General Workers
Union, and the Unions former general
secretary, Ernest Bevin, now Minister
of Labor, both refer with pride to the
expansion of this giant organization
of labor during the, last year. Arthur
! Dealin, who took Ernest Bevin's place
at the head of the Union, said that
the latest membership figure was L.
| 1O7, ,OOO-;ind this was certain to be
exceeded when the final figures for the
year 1912 became available. Other
Unions will be reporting similar sub
Stantial increases in membership, if
not quite of this order Of magnitude,
when their final returns come in to
close the accounts of 1912
Over Half In Fourteen Unions
Other significant features of the