In respect to this matter I cannot too strongly express my thanks to the proprietors and editor of _The Durham Chronicle_ for the kind and ready manner in which they placed at my disposal the whole of the files of their paper, commencing with 1869, and allowed me to have them for use in our office. They have very largely helped me to fill in the hiatus up to 1876. My thanks and yours are due to the employers and Mr Guthrie for the free access they gave me to their books at any time and in the fullest manner. They have not only allowed me facilities for examination, but Mr Guthrie has assisted me in my search, and has copied out portions which I deemed necessary for our purpose. The difficulty has therefore been lessened, and the work lightened by the help mentioned, but if this had not been so the work would still have been commenced, as the object lies near my heart, for two reasons--first, because to me there is no dearer or more attractive institution in the whole country than our Association. I will not say it is superior to all others, but I will assert it has none, or not many equals. From very small beginnings, from very unlikely conditions, and in the face of bitter and opposing circumstances and forces, there has been reared not merely a strong Trades Union as strong as any extant, but one as beneficial as it is strong. The second reason is the usefulness of the record. If, as Pope says, the "proper study of mankind is man," then, if on a slightly lower plane, it must be an important matter for a man to know the history of the class to which he belongs and of any institution of which he is a member. It is useful, too, in showing our young men the condition we have come from, the toil and anxiety those who were the initiators had to face, and the large amount of unremunerative labour they had to perform. Our present position has been bought with a price, the amount of which is unknown to this generation, many of whom are like the prodigal, who inheriting a fortune and knowing nothing of the hardships involved in the accumulation, squanders with indifference that which has cost bitter years and much hardship. Let me conclude this preface by saying I offer no plea for inability. That is too well known, by myself at least. If he is a wise man who knows his own limits and failings, then I am a very wise man. But one other thing I know as well: I have a full knowledge of your toleration, and that you are ready to give full credit for good intentions. The history shall be the best that I can do, keeping in view all the circumstances. I remember that we do not want a mere comment upon our history; that I could make from my experience, but it might not be accepted as reliable, and therefore what we must aim at (even if it be tedious) is a matter-of-fact statement, because that is all we desire.