Page:Engines and men- the history of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen. A survey of organisation of railways and railway locomotive men (IA enginesmenhistor00rayniala).pdf/140

 union in being when Parfitt began his cleaning at Newport. He became a pilot fireman, and in 1875 was posted fireman at Llantrisant, where he joined the A.S.R.S. In 1878 a twelve hours day system of working was introduced, which was really the thin end of the wedge towards the introduction of classification, this great change being brought about on October 1st, 1879. This system classified the work and the men and the wages, and in its twelve hour day operation it led the G.W. men to see the necessity of having a society of their own as enginemen, and really proved the foundation of the Associated, Evan Evans, Tom Harding, Charles Perry, Tom Roderick, and others became pioneers of the new movement. They waited on with a signed petition. “Damn the signatures," he said abruptly, "have you got the men?" This was the question they set out to answer, to get the men, and from Sheffield, Bristol, Pontypool, Newport, Birmingham, and other places the clarion call rang out.

Experience had taught the men there was no protection whatever in the A.S.R.S., and they desired to transfer from the friendly society attitude to that of a trade union. In 1881 Parfitt was transferred to London, and at Paddington set to work to form the first London branch of the Society. During the first ten years of the Society's history the Executive consisted solely of Leeds men, and it was the 1892 Conference which introduced the first representative E.C. The discussion on this subject is well worth more than passing reference. Sheffield had proposed to choose the Executive from a radius of 50 miles from the General Office, and Southport supported, but on the plea of Battersea that 50 miles was too small a radius, that limit was withdrawn. Wigan submitted a proposal that:—

"'The whole of the branches shall be divided into groups or districts, and each such group or district shall elect one member of the Executive Committee, each branch in such group or district being allowed to nominate one member, and the member who receives the largest number of votes shall be the duly elected member of the Executive for such group or district.'"