This process continued year by year, and while chairmen of companies and locomotive superintendents publicly spoke on the increased cost per train mile for engines, they were silent about the other side of the story, which secured greater service at less cost, and caused engine drivers and firemen to do more work for less pay than they were getting twenty years before. The physical and mental strain caused by these monsters was exhausting men,, and year after year in the nineties the annual reports of our Society were vivid reminders of the sad effects. Sick pay rose alarmingly, until an income of £3,000 had to meet an expenditure of £4,000. That refers to the Sick Fund only, at a period when some branches: averaged £2 per member in their claims. But the Society continued its run of infinite prosperity, as you shall see.
In November of 1889 the General Secretary had sent a letter of thanks to Mr. F. W. Webb, locomotive superintendent of the London & North Western Railway, for advancing the wages of their enginemen and firemen sixpence per day," and to inform him that it is our earnest desire that the best relations shall always exist between the enginemen and firemen and the locomotive superintendents." Just a few weeks after the expression of these pious desires came rumours of discontent developing on the Taff Vale line, and by July of 1890 a ferment was taking place down there. The Executive of the Society was specially summoned to meet on August 3rd" to consider the pending dispute on the Taff Vale, Rhymney, and Barry Docks Railways." Letters were read from Mr. E. Horford, Mr. C. D. Hawkins, the Cardiff Trades Council, and the Cardiff branch secretary, as well as from members in Tondu, Aberdare, and other affected centres. It was resolved:—
"1. That we regret that the Society was not consulted previous to notices on the Taff Vale Railway being sent in to cease work.
"2. We consider that to bring a matter of such great importance to a successful issue, it is absolutely necessary that the opinion of men on adjacent railways should first have been obtained, and seeing this has not been done, we consider they would be
