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Show THE COACHMAN PRESIDED. English Servants in Convention Assembled Demand Characters. London, June 27. The first anniversary of the Domestic Servants' union just celebrated cele-brated in this city develops the fact that this organization has gained great strength during dur-ing the lirst year of its existence, and promises prom-ises to take a prominent place among the trades unions of the United Kingdom. The; convention was made up of something some-thing over 800 delegates, representing the domestic servants of London and the provinces, prov-inces, both male and female, the chair being occupied by Mr. A. Thomson, a coachman. After complimenting the domestic servants of the metropolis on the success of their movement, he" drew attention to the abnormally ab-normally long hours they were compelled to work. Many Bervants he knew were obliged to be up and about at 7 in the morning, morn-ing, and were unable to retire until 1 oi 2 o'clock the following morning. Sixteen and seventeen hours were generally worked, while they were compelled to be in attendance attend-ance on Sundays, ami for that they did not receive an extra penny. It was his conviction convic-tion that every worker who was compelled to work on Sunday should receive extra pay, and lie trusted that they would soon be aide to demand that concession. They also wished to improve the character system, because a character was a servant's mainstay. main-stay. The employers demanded a character and they should be compelled by law to give the servant one in return. He said that if it were possible for them to secure a hearing before the labor commission there would be revelations that would astonish the country. He had known married men servants ser-vants with families who Lad not been able to see their wives for weeks at a time, and when they did so they were compelled to get up at 4 o'clock in the morning. Mr. Greenman, late secretary of the union, said that the domestic servants were so numerous numer-ous that they could form one of the most formidable trades unions in existence. From ! the late census he found that, including coachmen, gardners, male indoor servants, temale domestic servants, inn and hotel servants, ser-vants, cooks and washerwomen, there was a total of 1,800,000 domestic servants in the united kingdom. A resolution was carried by acclamation that the vast majority of these were little better than slaves, and that it was high time that something was done for them. . o 4t |