RAILWAY SERVANTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXV, Issue 9428, 1 June 1891, Page 6

RAILWAY SERVANTS.

TO TEB SMTOE.

Sib,— ln spite of the somewhat crushing* defeat sustained by the various {Union*' which partook in the great straggle between employers and employed!: in the! latter portion of the year of grace, 1890, some of them at least have preserved tj considerable portion of their original vitality. The Railway Servants* Kooietyj in defiance of the most strenuous vfforto on the part of the powers that be, to torce.it into a condition of utter nothingness, evidently still enjoying a healthy and vigorous existence ; and, although perhaps somewhat decimated in point of numbers, by the weak-kneedness and individual antipathy to self-sacrifice on thepart of some of its members, there is strong evidence that the panic caused by defeat has done its worst, and that its futon course will have an upward tendency. Ac the recent annual conference of delegates from the various branches, it was decided to establish a death benefit in connection! with the Union, by means of which th« lives of members may be assured without the payment of regular premiums, idea is a somewhat novel one, and may fairly lay claim to being the cheapest and . most simple mode of life assurance* Whenever a member dies, who has not allowed bis subscriptions to be more than! two months in arrears, his representatives' will receive an amount equal to what a levy of sixpence on every member of the Society will amount to. Assuming, foe instance, the numerical strength of the Society to be 3000, the widow, or heirs oi the deceased member will receive 3000 times sixpence, or £75. There is noncapital required to conduct the business, excepting the amount of the first levy, which will be called up in advance, and held in hand* to ensure speedy payment upon a member’s decease. There will be an almost total absence of working expenses, the present officers being <piite competent to attend to the extra duties, without an increase of salary; and, altogether, there Is' everything in the scheme to recommend it, and to ensure its unqualified success. Tbs amount payable at death is, of i course J capable of being increased, by Bhuplq process of raising the levy from sixpence; per member to such an amount asmay bo deemed desirable.

We have here the time principle of operative insurance in its simplest and! most complete form. The railway servant* are entitled to the credit of being the drat to reduce the principle to practice .among unions, and it would be well for (jj all desoriptiona to seriously consider thead* visability of doing likewise. The membezsol the AAB.S. have ceitainlypassed through a fiery ordeal of late, their leaders havi been placed hors-de combat, and they them selves have been reduced to a transient state of ineffioacy; but let them take heart, for the dawn is already appearing on the social horizon. The promised legislation of next session will place organised labour on a more equitable footinglhan it has hitherto enjoyed, and with a Boardofi Arbitration established by the people’s Par*! liament, they need not fear for the: By adopting such benefits as the death! fund, they will probably bring the greater, portion of the lost sheep back to the foldw Their energies in the immediate fntnre, must be centred on consolidating theirj ranks and numerically strengthening their] position, and they must constantly bear ini mind that legislation most do In tha future what strikes have failed to do in the] pash—l am, &0., NIL DESFXBA^m«