RAILWAY GUARDS' FRIENDLY SOCIETY.
July 5th, 1884.
At the ninth triennial festival of the Railway Guards' Universal Friendly Society, held at Willis's Rooms, July 5th, 1884, the Prince of Wales presided. A large number of directors and leading men connected with the railway companies were among the company. In giving or responding to the usual loyal toasts, His Royal Highness, in a very grateful and gracious way, took the opportunity of expressing his warm sense of the uniform attention shown to the Queen, and also to himself and the Princess of Wales, during their very frequent journeys, by the directors and all the officials and servants of the various railway companies. Everything was done for their safety and comfort, and he wished thus publicly to acknowledge his appreciation of what was done.
In giving the toast of the evening, "Prosperity to the Railway Guards' Universal Friendly Society," the Prince said:—
"We are to-day celebrating the ninth triennial festival of this Society, in aid of the 'Permanent Sick and Injured, and Widows and Orphans' Fund,' and I think all will agree with me that there is no charity which better deserves the attention and support of the public than this one. That it has already received such support is apparent to us from the length of time it has existed, but like all other great institutions of the kind in our country, the money which is required is, also, greatly in excess of that which is at their disposal to meet the actual necessities which arise.
"No public servants, I think, more deserve our sincere sympathy and support than the guards of our railway trains. It is obvious to all of us who have to travel constantly on railways how much our safety depends on their industry, their vigilance, their sobriety, and their discipline; and it is very gratifying to know that we may confidently rely on finding these qualities in them. Knowing what they have to go through, their exposure to all weathers and to risks of all kinds; remembering how much they have to be away from their homes and their families, it seems to me that we have hardly the right to expect to obtain from them their valuable services unless we in some measure mitigate their sufferings in sickness and from accident, and unless in case of death we do something for the maintenance of their widows and orphans. The Society was founded in June, 1849, and is one of the oldest societies in existence designed for the benefit of railway employés, and may be said to represent every line in the United Kingdom. It consists of forty-eight districts at the present time, situated at the principal railway stations throughout the country, from London to Inverness. In addition to the usual advantages offered by friendly societies—the ordinary sick and death benefits—this society possesses two special features adapted to the requirements of railway guards, who are exposed to very great risks from accidents. These objects are: 1st, a liberal provision for life for all those members who may become permanently disabled, either from injuries or constitutional causes; 2nd, annuities for the widows and orphans of deceased members. Other institutions, if they attempt to provide these exceptional benefits, only do so to a limited extent, and the members to whom they are granted are elected as vacancies occur; but the policy of this society has always been to provide these great blessings for all who are so unfortunate as to require them; and, notwithstanding that statistics show that guards run greater risks than other classes of railway servants, the contributions of the members themselves have been so largely supplemented by the generous support accorded by the public generally, that the society up to the present time has been able to carry out this fundamental principle."
The greater portion of the speech of His Royal Highness consisted of statistics of a most interesting kind, both as to the vast extent of railway travelling, the number of trains, of passengers, of railway employés, at that time numbering 357,650. All these statistics, as obtained from the returns of the Board of Trade, and also the number of persons killed or injured, especially those employed on the lines, were presented with admirable clearness to the audience, and were heard with great interest; but the statistics are not the same now, and are therefore not here given. The Prince concluded with an earnest appeal for help to the institution for which he pleaded. The appeal was liberally responded to, the subscriptions amounting to £3383, including a hundred guineas from the Royal Chairman, which has been his generous custom at the close of most of the charitable meetings for objects which have had the advantage of his support and advocacy.
It ought to be added that the Prince had already presided at a festival of the "Railway Benevolent Association," where he spoke with equal warmth and sympathy for all classes of railway servants. There are now other institutions with similar objects, partly provident and partly benevolent, and it is an excellent kind of charity. The directors of companies do their part, and, where there is any just cause, can be made to do more, under the Employers' Liability Act. For unavoidable accidents the men themselves contribute their money, on the principle of mutual insurance, but there is need also for more of the benevolent gifts of those who travel by rail.