LEVE. FIRST READING. (Hansard, 12 February 1867)

§ MR. NEATE

rose to move for leave to bring in a Bill to exempt during a limited time Associations of Workmen which were in respect of any part of their constitution entitled to the benefits of the Act 18 & 19 Vict. c. 63, from forfeiture of those benefits by reason of their being in other parts of their constitution adapted to the purposes of a trades union. The hon. Member remarked, that previously to 1825 all combinations of workmen for the object of getting any advance of wages were illegal; but in that year a measure was passed removing all liability in criminal proceedings from all societies of a peaceable kind, and these societies continued for a long time to enjoy such facilities for the administration of their funds as the law then allowed to other societies. Then came the Friendly Societies' Act of the 18 & 19 Vict., in which special facilities were given to what were termed Friendly Societies—that is, societies raised and constituted in pursuance of the provisions of the Act. At that time there were friendly societies which partook to a certain degree of the character of trades unions, and on these also certain advantages were conferred by a clause introduced into the Act of 1844. Very recently, however, on the occasion of the treasurer of a society absconding and the matter being brought before a magistrate, the magistrate refused to grant a warrant, on the ground that the society was not entitled to the benefit of the Friendly Societies' Act, on account of its being partly of a trades union character. Subsequently the decision of the magistrates was confirmed by the Court of Queen's Bench. He did not question for a moment that the decision was right; but still, it was productive of great inconvenience, and he might mention that it affected not only trades unions of the most 300 complicated and oppressive character, but also those which were of the most innocent kind. It might be that the forthcoming inquiry on the subject of trades unions might exclude them from the pale of the law; but that certainly had not hitherto been the intention of the House of Commons, because, for example, four years ago they were empowered to invest their funds on the security of the Post Office savings banks. In his opinion, a Bill ought to be passed to protect these associations—at any rate, for a time and until the whole law had been considered—from the effect of the recent decision. The hon. Member concluded by moving for leave to bring in the Bill.