ARMY CONTRACTS.
Immediately the war broke out, the United Baking Society were inundated with Army contracts. In the first few days they had to make arrangements for supplying camps all over the country, in addition to those for which they had held the contracts. These new camps included those at Perth, Inverness, Falkirk, and Dunblane, and all were supplied at current prices. Yet, notwithstanding the fact that the Baking Society were doing much work for the Army in that first week of the war, they were not allowed to escape from some of the other discomforts which come to the owners of horses and vehicles in a nation at war. On the 6th of August 18 horses, two motors, and one lorry were commandeered for military purposes. Other large bakers suffered in the same way, and on behalf of all of them a telegram was sent to the Officer in Command, pointing out the importance of the work which was being done by the baking firms in the distribution of food, and complaining that serious hardship to the people would ensue if bakers’ horses were removed. With this telegram the committee of the Baking Society associated themselves. To enable them to overtake their work, the Society decided to purchase several motors which had been offered to them, while a circular-letter, explaining the position, was sent out to the societies. That the War Office officials were not ungrateful for the assistance which had been rendered them in the emergency of mobilisation was shown by the fact that at the board meeting which was held on 7th August, letters of congratulation on the manner in which the service of bread to two camps had been carried out were read to the committee.
Among the minor results due to the war may be mentioned the cancelling of a number of social meetings, excursions, marriages, etc., and the closing down of the holiday camp at the end of August. At the beginning of October, another attempt was made by the Glasgow Master Bakers’ Association to have the price of bread raised, but again the directors of the Baking Society blocked the way. At the same time, however, the committee came to the decision that, in view of all the circumstances, they would not raise any objection should another overture be made. At the beginning of October, the situation was again reviewed and, in view of the fact that by the beginning of the year the price of flour would be greatly in advance of that then being used, it was agreed to resist no longer a slight advance in the price of bread. For three months the Society had been the means of keeping the price of bread at the rate at which it was being sold at the outbreak of war. If we assume that their action influenced only two hundred thousand households, and that the average consumption of bread in each household was only one 2–lb. loaf per day, this action of the Baking Society was responsible for saving to these householders in three months no less a sum than £21,250, and probably double that sum, for that only supposes an advance of one farthing per loaf. The first advance in the price of bread took place on 16th November. In Belfast the price of bread had been advanced ¼d. per 2–lb. loaf on 19th October.