August 30th. "That Mr. Brooke be asked to attend to this meeting, and attend his duties as General Secretary. Mr. Brooke agreed to do so. Also asked to withdraw his resignation to the delegates, and to continue to be General Secretary."
Nomination forms were sent out for the election of a General Secretary, the issue being settled by the members. Twelve hundred voting papers were ordered, and candidates were notified to attend the counting of the votes on Sunday, October 11th. Mr. Brooke was allowed to remain in the room if he desired.
Mr. T. G. Sunter was elected by a six to one majority, and the Committee resolved that he be accepted as General Secretary, and that he present his resignation as driver, to take up duty as soon as possible. A letter was sent out to all branches asking for the return of correspondence during the two months when none was copied, and a letter was sent to Mr. Brooke asking him to refund two months' salary during the time he refused to do the work of the Society-£26.
Thus ended, in the election of Mr. Sunter as General Secretary, and in the removal of the office and effects to Mill Hill, that very difficult internal struggle of 1885.
We shall be able in subsequent chapters to take up the story of conferences and delegate meetings, but for the present let us consolidate our gains up to the year 1885, by looking at the annual reports, before we pass on to some of the big events of the eighties—like the Hexthorpe Trial and the Midland Strike.
The report for the year 1882 showed total receipts in that year to have been £1,652 17s. 6d., and the expenditure £873 2s. 7½d., the funds at the end of the year standing at £2,266 3s. 3½d., and the membership at 671, with new branches opened at Gloucester and Sandhills. During the year 1883 the receipts totalled £1,901 3s. 10d., the expenditure £910 18s. 10d., and the funds at December 31st were £3,256 8s, 3½d., with a membership of 801. The balance sheet covering the year 1884 showed receipts to be £2,341; expenditure £1,177 7s. 5½d,, and the funds in hand £4,420 9s. 9d., for a membership of 1,017. New branches had been opened at Llanelly,
