AMALGAMATED SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 202, 30 August 1887, Page 5

AMALGAMATED SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS.

Sir Henry Parkes on Trade

Depression

A gathering of a mosfc interesting character took place at the Temperance Hall, at Balmain, Sydney, August 16. The occasion was the presentation of a purse of fifty sovereigns by the Balmain branch of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers to Mr William James McAlister, a member of tho society who had become incapacitated through sickness. The presentation was made by the Premier (Sir Henry Parkes), in the presence of a large audience. The Chairman, in commencing the proceedings, said he regretted very much the calamity that had fallen upon their brother, Mr McAlister, who was comparatively a young man, and who, in consequence of sickness, had been unable to follow his employment for some considerable, time. For some time past it had been a most difficult thing for the most able mechanics to succeed in keeping their homes ; but he was glad to find that things were beginning to look better. Sir Henry Parkes addressed the meeting at some length. In the course of his remarks he said ho presumed that he had been invited to attend the meeting in order that he might Bay a few words on what he had already designated their '' great society." The Amalgamated Society of Engineers was founded in 1851. At that time Queen Victoria had safe upon the throne of England 14 years. It was hard for any man now living,who was not aliving observant man then, to in any way estimate the state of England at tnat time. To take one example of the barbarity of its laws when the young Queen ascended tho throne, there were twelve crimes punishable by death, and in the year of ascension, or the year before it, a larger number of persons were hanged in England than had been hanged during the Queen's reign since. Hardly any fact could be quoted which would more strikingly point out the change which had como over tho English people since that time. That was one instance of the barbarity of their laws 50 years ago, and he alluded to that and to the barbarous state of society to point out the different state of things which existed when their society was founded to that which existed at tho present day. Even the objectors to the actions of bodies such as theirs—and there were many conscientious men who entertained objections—but even those who objected to the operations of tho society would hardly have raised the objection if, with the knowledge they possessed now, they could have seen the relations of capital to labour in the time when the society was founded. Ho found that tho society, which was established in 1851, had, at tho end of last year, 52,090 members, and its ramifications were pretty well all over tho world. So far as he was concerned, without pretending to be an unqualified admirer of what was called trade-unionism—but he condemned, and ho thought most men would condemn, the extremes to which some things under that name had run, as in the outragos which had occurred in Sheffield some years ago—(hear, hear)-but so far as ho was concerned, having examined tho reports of tho society for some few years past and again very lately, he was persuaded in his own mind that their great society had frequently used its power to prevent strikes, moderate their effects, and sco that the case was one of severe justice on bohalf of workmen before they gave their sanction. (Cheers.) As to the question whether the labourer had a right to obtain the highest reward for his labour that he reasonably could, he at once would say that ho had. (Applause.) He maintained tho workman had a right to obtain the highest remuneration he could consistent with obodionce to the laws, respect of the rights of others, and due order and peaceful possession of property in society. (Applause.) Their society, having started 36 years ago, had now a reserve fund of £111,67816s ljd. It hadtbisma^nincentfund to fall back upon after the adverse operations of last year, and the adverse character of those operations could be well judged by the fact that the society paid away the sum of six or seven thousand pounds more than it received. Hence they diminished their reserve fund by this over-payment to persons calling upon their beneficence. He found last year that there was paid to members out of work, ab the rate of 10s per week,the sum of £86,460 15s 2*d,and to the sick, at the same rate, £30,462 7s llsd. This must have been a very great boon to a great number. Thismoneywasnotpaidtomenout of employment through strikes, but to men out of employment notwithstanding all their efforts and willingness to take employment. (Applause.) After having referred to other benefits which were to be derived from the socieby,he pointed out that the income of the society last year amounted to £173,937 0s ll^d, and the expenditure to £181,388 13s llsd. He found that the question having been put to the vote of all the branches, Sydney last year was selected as the seat for the council of the various branches in Australasia. (Applause.) It was easy to see amidst the changes in the course of movement—the various movements among the labouring olasses of the world, the fluctuations in the movementof capital—what hardships must have been wnolly averted or greatly ameliorated by the operations of this society. It was as a sheet anchor to the good ship of the working man's prosperity to have a great power like this organisation to trust to, which would stand by him to a certain extent in case of need all through the changeful circumstances of hia life. (Applause.) It was said on a rory good calculation that by the mere inventions in lessening labour since the year 1840 the work now actually done—if it had to be done now on the same basis of calculation as in the year 1840— they would require the mother country to be peopled by 107,000,000 of people to do it. If that were so, they could to some extent see some of the causes which created bad times. If it was a fact that for some time past grand steamships had been built on the coast of Ireland, Scotland and Wales which had never yet returned a penny on tho outlay, they could readily understand the temporary dearth of employment which had fallen to the lot of the cognate trades embodied in their society. How that problem was ultimately to be solved he did not know, but he did know that capital went into the building of ships, and in some instances to the building of great mills, where an adequate return never failed. He was assured when he last made the-passage of the Atlantic, that the line he travelled with—the White Star Linewas the only line of vessels which at that time was paying a dividend. He was assured on good authority that the fast steamers were all consuming more money than they were making in their respective passages. It was marvellous that this should go on, butthere was reason to believe that it had gone on for years, and that many of the noble ships had been run at a positive loss until they had been of necessity laid up. That state of things could not last. They might be assured that new fields would open as "time went on. They hardly knew in what direction. But as the world went on

greater demand would be made for the labour of skilled men. At all events one thing was morally certain, and that was that inventions in labour-saying machinery or in other directions ought to have the effect of making the lot of human beings lighter and happier.