A Hajdú-Bihar Megyei Levéltár évkönyve 22. 1995 (Debrecen, 1995)

Tanulmányok - Mónus Imre: Ipartársulat-ipartestület Hajdúböszörményben (1872-1950)

Income of the bootmakers was the price of the shoes sold. For this reason they attached great importance to assure the stands and to maintain their order. It was a subject of every general assembly and committee meeting. Their work can be followed until 1930 in the era of work of the trade-society as well.

In 1884 the new Trade Law ordered the formation of the trade- association. It represented more developed form considering the trade- societies. The Law gave more rights and larger independence for the trade-associations for their administration. A sign of raising of professional and cultural level was the introduction of the compulsory schooling of apprentices that was checked by the trade-associations. The inaugural meeting of the trade-association was on 19th of July, 1896. From 310 craftsmen 272 voted for transformation into trade- association. The draft of the constitution was also accepted. Their work shows only a slight change in the first period considering the order developed in the trade-societies. Their work was enlarged only by the sphere of authority referred to them from the trade-authorities. Rising the number of craftsmen shows slow development around the turn of the century. In 1905 already 542 craftsmen were working in sixty trades.

Later the signs of crisis could be seen; trade work couldn't ensure suitable possibilities for living. In the report evaluating the year of 1912 several financial provisions were criminated by the craftsmen for e.g. illegal imposing the incidental accident charges or imposing the 10 % additional sick-nursing tax.

A surprising political change was on the general assembly of 30th of March, 1919 that by the proposal of the chairman, Sándor Debrec- zeni the general assembly decided to join collectively the local social democratic party. They elected delegates to the workers' council. The presidency of the social democratic party was informed about it in a writ made by the general assembly. After 1922 consolidation of political life brought about connection of the trade-association into the town politics. In the course of election of delegates of the town an ordinary and a deputy delegate were nominated by them.

In the work of the association solving professional problems and representation of interests were the main tasks. They participated in county and national exhibitions, directed the master's examination

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