62 POLITICAL ECONOMY 



far ahead of all others, but it increased by only 3,300 members 

 hist year. If, as some think, it already includes 90 per cent, of 

 all the men working at the trade, no further very rapid increase 

 is possible. No masters came forward to give evidence against 

 this society. Nor did Mr. Allan, the secretary, complain of the 

 masters. Such disputes as have occurred in this trade of late 

 years seem to have been of a very trifling character. The 

 engineers did not go to Geneva, nor take part in the great trade 

 conference with which Mr. Potter was connected. 



The Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, num- 

 bering 8,261 members, with an income of 10,487/., 8,320^ in 

 hand, and 1 90 branches, is very similar in organization and in 

 general conduct to the Engineers' Society. Both of these unions 

 are benefit or mutual insurance societies as well as trade 

 societies. They have an allowance for the sick, a superannua- 

 tion allowance, a payment for burial expenses, and they give 

 100L to any member who is so disabled by an accident that he 

 cannot follow his trade. Most of the unions have some benefits, 

 and partake in some degree of the nature of friendly societies, 

 but the superannuation payment is generally omitted. These 

 benefits are sometimes most unjustly described as mere traps, to 

 entice prudent men into unions. It is far more true that the 

 trade-unions have taught their members to be provident. The 

 benefits, great or small, are so unmixed a good, that the 

 opponents of unions have endeavoured to show that after all 

 they are, as benefit societies, mere swindling concerns, that the 

 subscriptions from members are quite insufficient to provide for 

 the benefits promised, even in the great Engineers' Society, with 

 its 140,000^. of capital. These enemies to unions have got an 

 actuary, Mr. Tucker, to come and pronounce the curse of bank- 

 ruptcy on unions from this point of view ; and he has been 

 generally acknowledged a true prophet by writers. Mr. Allan 

 holds up facts in the face of Mr. Tucker's calculations which he 

 does not attempt to reconcile with his deductions, and the facts 

 seem to contradict the figures. 



The following table shows the payments which, according to 

 Mr. Tucker, would be required to provide for the engineers' 

 benefits : 



1 In 18(58 the fund is 14,1 7 1/. 



