July 1st of 1898. The Associated closed the year with 8,724 members, and reserve funds of £61,902.
The York Friendly Society of Enginemen and Firemen was taken over on September 1st, 1899, and the Leeds Society from January 1st, 1900. This twentieth year of the Society's history gave an increased membership of 940, and increased the funds by £12,764, the reserves standing at £88,862. There was prevalent dissatisfaction against conditions of service, and many men were, in fact, leaving the service because of its many injustices and the very slight prospect of younger men becoming drivers. Men were being compelled to work defective engines to the risk of their lives, and two boiler explosions on the L. & Y, killed four enginemen.
There had been hopes of Mr. F. P. Sargent. Grand Master of the American Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, visiting the 1899 Conference, but it proved impossible, and it was not until ten years later that the fraternal visit was paid. In the same year (1899) a conference took place with the Steam Enginemen's Friendly Society as to amalgamation, but the ballot of the members of that society went against it. Later in the year it was decided to write Mr. Richard Bell, the newly elected Secretary of the A.S.R.S., with a view to promoting a conference of ten enginemen and firemen, with two members of the Executive of the Associated, and a similar number of the A.S.R.S., who must be enginemen or firemen, with a view to the Federation of the two bodies of enginemen and firemen only. A preliminary meeting of the newly-elected Executive was held on January 2nd, 1900, to draw up a programme of national conditions of service. Those present were Messrs. A. Fox, J. Holt, H. Parfitt, J. Drummond, C. Shipley, J. Gough, J. Evans, J. C. Potterill, W. Ferguson, and G. Moore. The two absent members of the complete Executive which faced the new century were Messrs. Bliss and Warwick. The proposal discussed was of federation with only the enginemen and firemen of the A.S.R.S., those present to include five from each side, with two Executive men who are engine drivers or firemen from each side. They were to report
