A MANAGER APPOINTED.
In the minutes the most important things sometimes crop up in the most casual manner. At a meeting of the committee which was held on 18th September, one of the principal themes of the evening’s discussion was the purchasing of new horses. A horse was to be returned as unsuitable, and another horse priced at £30 was to be taken on trial, as it would not suit the committee that anything should be paid to the owner as “rue bargain.” Then, quite casually, the minute goes on to mention that “the engaging of Mr Sturrock as manager of the Baking Society was then gone into.” This is the first mention made in the minutes of the proposal to appoint a manager; but, from the document which had been prepared and which was transcribed into the minute of the meeting, it is evident that the subject had been under consideration for some time. It is interesting to note in this agreement that “the manager was not to exceed 3/ for baking and firing.” He was to determine “the quality and also the maker’s flour he shall use, but the committee reserve the right to prevent the price of flour used any week exceeding the average price of extra flour.” He was to keep the accounts of the Society, and prepare weekly statements which would give
“the number of sacks baked and also the cost of the flour and other materials, wages, rent, cost of horse-keep, etc., giving the total of the whole, with a statement of the number of loaves baked from each sack, the total number of dozens of loaves produced, with smallbread; also the cash value of the loaves and smallbread added and the expense with the cost deducted, showing clear profit; also a statement showing the number of dozens of loaves and smallbread sent to each society, with the number left on hand at the end of each week.”
The pay of the manager was fixed at 35/ per week until the Society was able to pay a bonus of sixpence per £, when his wages were to be advanced to 40/ per week.
Already the directors were beginning to find that if it was difficult to sell as much bread as they desired, it was equally difficult sometimes to get payment for the bread they did sell. There was hardly one of the Glasgow societies but had to struggle hard to keep going at all. Of all those societies in the city to which the new venture must look for its best support there were not more than two which emerged safely from the struggles of those early days, and those two survived only because the men in charge of them refused to recognise defeat and kept going even against the advice of the friends who foresaw in a longer struggle but greater disaster. Of the eight societies which had joined in the formation of the Federation only two were pursuing smoothly the even tenor of their way, free from the irritating worries produced by the difficulty of making ends meet. These two societies—Thornliebank and Barrhead—were associated with the Bakery from the very first meeting, and being successful they were in a position to pay their way promptly; but some of the others were not so fortunate, and so, in October of the first year, we find the manager being instructed by the committee to write to the societies and point out to them that as the capital was limited it would be an advantage if payment was made promptly when the accounts were rendered. Frequently during the next few years the same complaint crops up, and there were times when the Society was owing the S.C.W.S. large sums of money which at the moment it was quite unable to pay because of the fact that the societies were not paying promptly for the goods they received.
The third quarterly meeting took place on 4th December. Although there is nothing about it in earlier minutes, a hint is given that the committee or the manager had not been keeping to the strict line of instructions given at the August quarterly meeting, for a motion is agreed to “that the alteration in the price of bread take place on the same day as the Glasgow prices.” A profit had been made on the quarter’s transactions, but it was not large enough to divide, and the delegates gave authority to the committee “to apply it to redeem fixed stock.” About this time the Society was having trouble with the quality of flour purchased. The flour was returned, and the manager was authorised to cancel the order if that sent in exchange was not of better quality. The committee at the close of their first year were discussing the necessity of getting more ovens, as the old bakery was quite inadequate to meet the trade which was being done. It was agreed to endeavour to get other two ovens; and, failing that solution of the difficulty, to see if a nightshift could be employed. Later minutes are silent as to how the difficulty was overcome during the three months which elapsed ere the new bakery in St James Street, Kinning Park, was ready for occupation.