The Manchester Society.
A Manchester Society,[29] "The Manchester and Salford Society of Women Employed in the Bookbinding and Printing Trades" has gained some definite success in increasing wages during its six years of existence. In its third Annual Report, 1899, it is stated that in May, 1898, the Society began an attempt to increase wages to a 10s. minimum after a three or four years' apprenticeship, that as a consequence the wages of forty girls were raised in September from 9s. to 10s., and that subsequently thirty others received the shilling advance. In its next Report, 1899-1900, it states, without giving the number of girls affected, that "they now all receive 11s. and 12s. per week, where, prior to joining the Union, they earned 9s. and 10s. per week." Next year the membership was 165, and the last issued Report, 1902, whilst stating that "a slight increase of membership" had taken place during the year, gives no figures. "Losses through marriage and other circumstances," the 1901 Report says, "have been great," and the Society is kept going mainly by the devotion of one or two persons.[30]
[29] The existing Society is the second attempt to organise the women in these trades in Manchester.
[30] The last balance sheet gives at a glance the position of this Society, and indicates its activities:—
BALANCE SHEET FOR THE YEAR ENDING APRIL 30TH, 1902.
| Income. | £ | s. | d. |
|---|---|---|---|
| To balance from April 30th, 1901 | 114 | 0 | 4½ |
| " contributions | 72 | 3 | 3 |
| " Bank interest | 2 | 9 | 11 |
| ---- | -- | -- | |
| 188 | 13 | 6½ | |
| === | == | == | |
| Expenditure. | £ | s. | d. |
| By sick pay | 29 | 10 | 0 |
| " out-of-work pay | 17 | 1 | 8 |
| " printing | 2 | 15 | 9 |
| " postages | 0 | 8 | 6 |
| " secretary's salary | 5 | 12 | 6 |
| " collector's commission | 1 | 9 | 9 |
| " grant to Women's Trades Council | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| " grant to treasurer | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| " auditing accounts | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| " deputation expenses | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| ---- | -- | -- | |
| 59 | 9 | 2 | |
| " cash in Bank on April 30th, 1902 | 125 | 2 | 5 |
| " cash in hands of secretary | 4 | 1 | 11½ |
| ---- | -- | -- | |
| £188 | 13 | 6½ | |
| ==== | == | == |
Attempts have been made to organise women elsewhere as, for instance, in Edinburgh, where a Union of women compositors existed for a year; also in Birmingham, where ten years ago a Union was formed specially to include the machine-rulers who had been introduced about ten years previously. But the movements have failed.
Such is the record of the organisation of women in the trades with which we are dealing. It is almost exclusively confined to London and Manchester, and in London, out of 19,000 women connected with bookbinding, most of whom are book- and paper-folders, certainly not more than 500 are organised. In 1901, in the seven Men's Unions covering these trades there were 41,907 members, whilst the total membership of the Women's Unions was well under 1,000.