Sir Henry Parkes on Trade Depression. AMALGAMATED SOCIETY OF ENGINEER

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 218, 3 September 1887, Page 5

Sir Henry Parkes on Trade Depression.

AMALGAMATED SOCIETY OF ENGINEER

A gathering of a most interesting character took place at the Temperance HaH, at Balmai)), 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 McAlistor, ft member of the society who had become incapacitated through sickness. The presentation was mado by the Premier (Sir Henry I'arkes), 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 AicAli&ter, who was comparatively a young man, and who, in consequence of sickness, had been unable co 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 Avere beginning to look better. Sir Henry Parkes addressed the meeting nt tome length. In the course of his remarks he said he presumed that he had been invited to attend the meeting in order that he might say 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 fiat upon the throne of England 14 years. It was hard for any man now living, who was not a living observant man then, to in any way estimate the state of England at that time. To tako oho example of the barbarity of its laws when the young Queen ascended the 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 come over the English people since that time. That was one instance of the barbarity of their lawo 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 the 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 the society would hardly have raised the objection if, with the knowledge they possessed now, they could have pcen the relations of capital to labour in the time when the society was founded. He found that the society, which was established in 1851, had, at the end of last year, 52,090 members, and its 1.-unifi-cations were pretty well all over the world. So far as he was concerned, without pretending to be an unqualified admirer of what was called trade-unionism — but he condemned, and he thought most men would condemn, the extremes to which Fome things under that name had run, a&in the outrages which had occurred in Sheffield some yeais ago— (hear, hear) but &o far as he was concerned, having examined the reports of the society for some few years past and again very lately, he was pei-suaded in his own mind that their great bociety had frequently used its power to prevent strikes, moderate their effects, and see that the case was one of severe ju&tice ( on behalf of workmen before they gave their sanction. (Cheers.) As to the question whether the labourer had a light to obtain the highest reward for his labour that he reasonably could, he at once would say that he had. (Applause.) He maintained the workman had a right to obtain the highest remuneration he could consistent with obedience 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 l^d. It hadthismagnifioentfund 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, at 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 ll|d. 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 society, he pointed out thatthe income of the society last year amounted to £173,937 0s ll^d, and the expenditure to £181,388 13s lUd. 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 move-rnont-—the various movements among the labouring classes of the world, the fluctuationsin the movementof capital — what hardships must have been wholly averted or greatly ameliorated by the operations of this Bociety. 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 his life. (Applause.) It was said on a very 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 the outlay, they could readily understand the temporary dearth of employment which had fallen to tho 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 milte, where an adequate return never failed, lie was assured when ho last made the passage of the Atlantic, that tho line he tzavelled with — the White Star Line — was 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, but there was reason to believe that it had gone on for years, and that' many of the noble ships had been run at apositive 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-saving machinery or in other directions ought to have the effect of making the lot of human beings lighter and happier.