becoming sectionalised, its activities varying from heavy correspondence to the Editorship of the "Journal" and the direction of a big Approved Society. Over all these, as well as direction of office routine. Mr. Fox sought to exercise direct personal control, in addition to the Conciliation Board work, then in a state of flux, and all external negotiations with companies. The effort caused his life to be full of rush, with many night journeys and irregular and inadequate food. Over all this he frequently took the platform on the Amalgamation or Federation issue, and the effect of it all came suddenly. By December of 1912 he had ceased to be an effective force, and his ill-health was added to serious domestic trouble by the painful illness of his younger son Charles, who died in October of 1913. The Executive and Assistant Secretary had an anxious time up to December of 1913, when Mr. Fox again relapsed.
By September of 1913 the membership had passed 30,000, a very gratifying total, and the Executive had several new members—Messrs. J. Healey (Sheffield) for the North Midland; John Hunter (Southport) for Lancashire; W. Gamble (Derby) for the Midlands, and Geo. Wixson (Cardiff) for South Wales. The 1913 A.A.D., over which Mr. R. Hill, of Bradford, presided, had decided to take a ballot of all members on a payment of 1s. per year to a Political Fund, any member being able to sign an exemption clause from the payment. The result of this ballot was declared by Mr. Wride, the President, on October 7th, as follows:—For the payment, 7,839; against, 3,841. This was immediately followed by a startling and untrue article in the "Daily Express," alleging that £16,000 were missing and that the General Secretary had been relieved of duty for three months. Action was instantly taken by the Society's solicitors, and the "Daily Express," along with one or two journals which followed it, issued an apology and letter of explanation. The simple fact was that the Annual Report showed for the first time a deficit, which was £16,000, and the simple explanation was that the miners' strike of 1912 had cost the Society £24,000 in out-of-work pay, while the balance on the ordinary work of the year was
