The Potteries Examiner : — 1878-05-18 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

ANNR.AL..REP9LT,  Mr. G. T. Stoic LOS (Northumberland) General Secretary to the Federation, in sobmitting his fifth annual. report, stated that the Federation was in a most ext is. factory condition numerically. The expenditure for the past year had exceeded the income to the amount of Lit I 16e. 101 They had paid ..e4O 70. 21. for defending mcmbers in courts Of law, being the quota from the general fund which was allowed fur that purpose, viz.— t vo-tbirds of the expense incurred in the defence. ES had been expended in mg leering and printing new copies of rules; and it seas hoped that those items would not be no heavy in futur,.. With regard to the criminal charges, they as engineinen, he thought, ought to seriously consider the matter, and should use every exertion, along with their fellows, to place their most responsible positions before their einplo erg in as clear a light as possible. The greatent evil enginemen had to contend with was long MA tedious hourn of duty. Many accidents had occurred owing to the exhaustion of nature, yet many employers were unwilling to rcangnine the fact. The best preventative to the many accidents which oecnrred through over.vtinding, over-running, and drawing without the proper signals being given, was to place steady, industcions, and efficient I men in such important and responsible positions ; and I on no account ought the hours of duty to exceed the I eight hours turn. Thin in itself wonld :sr exceed patent safety detach and hook, patent safety rages, or any other mechanical contrivances. The victims of long boars of duty; low wages, ac.„ were general)  notoriously indolent, improei tent, and viCiOUR ; whilst those that enjoyed slant hours of duty and higher wages, were industrious, cleanly, enterprising, and economiaal, notwithstanding the many charges which bad been brought against working men laden interneerate through high wages. He (Mr. Shields) believed that by the change both ninsters anti men would profit considerably. The whole of Wednesday afternoon was eau:dell in the consideration of cases which the Federation had been defending. One ante, which assumed a very serious nature, and one of the greatest importance to engine. men, had securrel in the county of Durham, where an engineman was charged with attempted murder, he having accidentally lowered a man into the "lump" through a wrong signal haviug two given. When the case came before the magistrates, they consilcred it an accident, anti dismissed the case—Another case M 74.4 from. South Staffordshire, where the man had been coin. emitted for trial by the local magistrate ; but when at the Shire Hall, Stafferd, the case woe dismissed. After the temoittal the cam did not end there, for the Government lirspestor, under the Mines Regulation Act, sued the man for penalties, and he was ultimately fined. Those and similar cases all went to show the necessity of Federations like the present one tor the protect it n of enginemen, who, unlike other trades, were held r ,spon. sane for thiegs over which they hail no control, and were cltarged with things which could not be proved.— An application was received from the South Stafford. shire (No. 1) Engineinen's Protective Association for permission to join the Federation. The application was received.