CARPENTERS AND JOINERS' SOCIETY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6736, 18 September 1883, Page 4

CARPENTERS AND JOINERS' SOCIETY.

The twenty-third annual report (for 1882) of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenter's and Joiners (which has branches in Dunedin and other New ■ Zealand cities) has been issued from the general offices in Manchester. From it "we make the following interesting extracts:— . • ; -. ■

We have opened 15 new branches during the year—namely, eight in England, one in Ireland, ono in Scotland, two in the United States, one in Canada, and two in South Africa. ■ The opening of branches in South Africa will, I believe, prove a valuable addition, if only because we havo in this way procured a regular report of the state of trade, rates of wages, &c. in these parts, which members emigrating can accept as reliable, and be no longer compelled to accept the highlycoloured statements of emigration agents. Through slackness of trade and the consequent removal of members, we have bsen compelled to close two branches in England, aa it wan no longer profitable to retain them, rtnd tho.members Fwho remained have bsen transferred to other branches. We have admitted: 3432 and excluded 1302 members, tho net increase in our numerical strength.behig 1857. This number has only been exceeded twice "since the formation of the Society—viz., in the years 1805 and 18SJG, which wero two exceptionally busy years, our total strength being 20.G22. The net income for the year was £49,303 8s 7d, or an increase of £4649 2'j 11-Jd on the previous year. The expenditure was £43,934 IDs lid, being £5428 13s ssd less than our income, we have thus increased our cash balance by that amount. This is a very gratifying result, when we remember that for four successive years the Society were working at a loss, our expenditure during that period having exceeded, our income by £33,28710 a lOd; A very careful valuation of "the buildingß and other property has been made, and we End a grand total of £02,11215 a lO^d, or £210s 5Jd per member. . In unemployed benefit wo have expended the sum of £14,375 2s lOd, or 14a SJd'per member, against £19,182 16a sd, or £1 Oa 5Jd per member, last year. In sick benefit we have expended £12,278 2a 10d, or 11s 10|d per member, as against 13s 4d per member in the previous year. Compensation for tools lost by fire,'water,' or theft, cost £1290 17s; accidents, £1050; superannuation, £1030 7s Bd. This is an increase from Bjd per member in 1881, to ll^d for the past year; but this is no doubt due to the fact that we have a large number of members who joined us from other societies in 1877 and 1878 who, for tho purposeof superannuation, were allowed to date their entrance from the time when they last joined their' respective societies, provided that in no case should they date back beyond May 1,1803. Many of these have now. completed their eighteen years' membership, and have become entitled to 7s per week—hence the sudden increase in the expenditure under this heading. In benevolent grants to distressed members we have expended £709 Us 3d, and in grants to other trades £35. In trade privileges (which is an item covering what is known as Btrike pay, conciliation and arbitration expenses, expenses of tho management of all trade movements, and law expenses) we expended the sum of £225912s 6£d. Much has been said and written during the past few years about the poverty and improvidence of the working classes, and it is not for me to defend such improvidence where it is shown to exist, though I believe the statements have often been much exaggerated ; but a change must be coming over the scene, if the charge against us ever had any substantial foundation. We are informed, on the authority of the conductor of the "Foresters' Miscellany," who has gone to some trouble to collect the statistics, thatsin the year 1881 seven friendly societies and eight trade unions, with a total membership of 1,343,106 members, had during that year disbursed no less than £1,501,493 la 4d in the form of benefits amongst their members, and yet retained a total capital of over eight millions. In this work our comparatively small Society has performed a fair share of good. In the 22J years since its for million we have paid away in benefits a total of £414,465, or £39 3a 3Jd per member. Surely these are deeds " to silence envious tongues," and conclusively prove that where the facilities exist for the promotion of thrifty habits the working classes are not so unwilling to tako advantage of them.