578 
FARRIERS 5 STRIKE, OR A VETERINARY MEDICAL 
ASSOCIATION ON ITS TRIAL. 
By Thomas Greaves, M.R.C.V.S. and P.L.V.M.A., 
Manchester. 
If any facts were wanting to illustrate the practical useful¬ 
ness of veterinary associations, and their great value to the 
practitioner, these have unequivocally been demonstrated in 
Manchester during the late strike of the shoeing smiths for 
an advance of wages. The President of the “Farriers 5 Society, 55 
with three of its members, forming a deputation, waited upon 
the President of the “ Lancashire Veterinary Medical Associa¬ 
tion 55 on the 4th July, for the purpose of ascertaining the practi¬ 
cability of getting an advance of wages. The president endea¬ 
voured to convince them that their contemplated demand was 
unreasonable; but in vain. This interview led to a special 
meeting of the association being immediately convened. 
The great importance of complete organization must be 
obvious to every one, in enabling a body of men to act at a 
moment's notice on any pressing emergency! Each member 
becomes intimately acquainted with the views and private 
opinions of his fellow-members; thus the association assumes 
the character of one family, nay, they act with the definiteness 
of one man. The association had several interviews with 
deputations from the Farriers 5 Society, but they were un¬ 
availing, since the society was deaf to all reason. They 
could not be made to understand that in the present state of 
the trade of Manchester it would be wrong to attempt to 
raise the price of shoeing, neither would they be satisfied 
when reminded that the wages, at the rate now paid, absorbed 
nearly the entire profits. Three fourths of the horses shod 
in Manchester are charged 3s. 6d. per set, some of them less 
than that sum, and some few 4s. per set. The wages are 26s. 
per week for a doorman, and 30s., 32s., and 34s. per 
week for a fireman. The wages alone amount to 2s. 1 \d. 
per set of shoes, and the whole expenses are as follows: 
For Cart Horses, per Set. 
. s. d. 
Fireman making 2 pairs . . . . 0 51- 
Fireman fitting 2 pairs . . , , 0 5| 
2 Doormen striking for 2 pairs . , , 0 8| 
1 Doorman knocking on . . , . 0 6| 
16 lb of Iron, at 12s. per cwt.‘ . . , 1 8| 
40 Nails, 1 lb, No 15’s, at 7s. 6d. per thousand . 0 6 
4 3f 
. 0 4 
3 11| 
Set off 4 old shoes, 11 lb, at 4s. per cwt. 
