ttee
meeting; nor, more particularly, from the annual general meeting of the
society when I had to give an address. It was always to me a pleasure to
meet the men, to learn their views, and to help them as far as I could.
This they soon discovered, and I had the satisfaction of knowing that I
was liked and trusted. Early in life I had learned to sympathise with
the wants and wishes of others, and sympathy I found increased one's
power of usefulness. By sympathy I do not mean agreeing always with the
men and their views, and I never hesitated to strongly express to them my
own convictions, and rarely it was that they ever in the least resented
the plainest speaking. I believe if the responsible leaders of labour
would follow a similar course, it would be better for themselves, for the
men they lead, and for the world at large. The deputy-chairman of the
society was Michael O'Neill, the audit accountant of the company, and if
ever a plain-spoken man, blunt and direct of speech existed, it was he.
Every word he spoke had the ring of honest sincerity. To the men he
spoke more plainly even than I, and him they never resented. I think
their trust in him exceeded their trust in me. True he was Irish and I
was not, and then they had known him much longer than me; and so, small
blame to them, said I. One good thing for the society I managed to do. I
induced the directors to treble the company's annual contribution to its
funds, a substantial benefit, of course, to the men. I remained chairman
of the society, and Michael O'Neill its deputy chairman till 1912, when
the National Insurance Act came into operation. Then, by a resolution of
a majority of its members, it was wound up, to the regret, however, of
many of them, who preferred their own old institution which they knew so
well, and in the management of which they had a voice, to what some of
them styled "a new-fangled thing."

The occasions on which I have met, for the first time, men eminent in the
railway world, and for whom I have had great admiration, have always left
upon me very clear impressions, and this was particularly so in the case
of Sir George Findlay, the General Manager of the London and
North-Western Railway. He was not, however, Sir George when I met him
first, but plain Mr. Findlay. It was in the year 1891, the occasion
being one of the periodical visits to Ireland of the London and North-
Western chairman, directors, and principal officers.