History of the United Co-operative Baking Society Ltd.

by William Reid

THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

The members of the board had now had almost a year’s experience of managing Belfast Branch, and had come to the conclusion that in order that the work should be carried on satisfactorily in every respect it was desirable that representatives of the local societies should be associated in the management. For this purpose they drew up a scheme for an advisory committee, to consist of three representatives of Irish societies. These proposals were approved by the delegates at the quarterly meeting, and were afterwards submitted to representatives of the Irish societies and approved by them. Mr Robert Fleming, Belfast, was appointed convener of the committee, and associated with him were Messrs Crook, Lisburn, and Palmer, Portadown. The constitution of the Advisory Committee was as follows:—

The committee shall consist of three members—one of whom shall act as convener and correspondent.

They shall be elected at a meeting of representatives of Irish societies to be summoned by the board of management in the month of July in each year. They shall hold office for two years.

Their duties, generally, shall be to supplement the efforts of the board of management in developing and consolidating the business of Belfast branch. To this end, they shall meet and confer with those members of the board who visit the bakery monthly. They shall keep in touch with the several societies in the Federation, and advise as to the most economical means of serving them. They must visit the societies when commissioned to do so by the board, and carry out any particular duties assigned to them—such as attending monthly meeting, conferences, verifying stocks, etc.

They shall be paid at the same rate as the members of the board of management doing the same work.

From time to time since then the constitution of the advisory committee has been amended and its membership added to. Very shortly after its formation it was increased to four members; in 1912 another member was added; and in September 1918 yet another, making the membership now six.

An important amendment of the constitution was made in 1912, when it was altered to the following:—

The committee shall consist of five members—chairman, secretary, and three society representatives.

They shall be elected at the annual meetings of representatives of federated Irish societies held in July of each year, and shall hold office for two years (societies shall be entitled to representation at such meetings in like proportion as to quarterly meeting immediately preceding). The chairman and one society shall be elected in alternate years with the secretary and two societies. If through death, resignation, or otherwise, a vacancy should occur in the case of an ordinary member, his society shall fill up the vacancy, and in the case of an official the committee shall have the power to fill up the vacancy from their own number, subject to the approval of the following general meeting.

Their duties generally shall be to co-operate with the board of management in developing and consolidating the business of the Belfast branch. A sub-committee, consisting of the secretary and one member (members of the committee attending in rotation for the purpose), shall be held not later than Thursday in each week except in such weeks as full meetings of the committee shall be held, as hereafter provided. They shall inspect the premises and plant, noting anything requiring attention of manager or board of management. They shall afterwards receive reports (on prescribed forms) from distributive and productive managers, who shall both be in attendance to supplement and explain verbally the reports submitted by them. The manager shall further report any complaints received, and the steps, if any, taken to remedy the matters complained of. He shall also report purchases made and any contracts entered into for supply of goods.

All correspondence from board of management or elsewhere bearing on the work of the branch shall be taken up and dealt with.

A copy of the minutes of each sub-committee meeting, with any recommendations the committee desire to make, shall be forwarded by the secretary to the board of management in time for consideration at the board’s weekly meeting held on Friday.

BELFAST BAKERY

ST MUNGO HALLS

Full meetings shall be held on the second and last Saturdays of each month or other convenient dates, three to form a quorum. Two representatives from the board of management shall attend one of these meetings. Cost and profit statements and statistics of trade with societies for previous month shall be submitted and considered at this meeting. Matters of general policy and questions remitted from board of management shall be discussed with visitors. Minutes of all sub-committee meetings shall be submitted for confirmation to next full meeting. Distributive and productive managers shall be in attendance at all meetings.

Appointments for stocktaking, quarterly meetings of the Federation, visits to societies, conferences, etc., shall be made and reports of same received at full meetings.

The manager shall consult the members of the advisory committee when it is possible to do so on matters requiring to be dealt with between meetings, but this general instruction shall not prevent him acting on his own initiative when circumstances demand an immediate decision.

They shall be paid at the same rate as the members of the board of management doing the same work.

In 1917 Mr R. Fleming, who had acted as convener of the advisory committee from its formation, was elected a member of the board of the C.W.S. This necessitated the resignation of his position on the advisory committee, which took effect at the annual meeting with the Irish societies in July of that year. Mr J. M‘Guffin, president of Belfast Society, was elected his successor, and the thanks of the Bakery board and of the Irish delegates were accorded to Mr Fleming for the work he had done for the branch. At the quarterly meeting of the Federation in Glasgow which was held in June Mr Fleming was present, and there also the thanks of the delegates were conveyed to him by the chairman in an appreciative speech, to which Mr Fleming made fitting response.

In 1918 there were some differences of opinion on questions of management between the advisory committee and the board of management, with the result that the advisory committee suggested resigning in a body from their offices. This course of action did not commend itself either to the board of management or to the delegates, and the cause of friction was removed by another alteration of the constitution of the advisory committee, which gave that body another member. The principal alteration, however, was contained in the following clause which was added to the paragraph in the 1912 constitution which dealt with “Duties”:—

“Should any difference arise between the committee and the board of management which cannot be adjusted by correspondence, a joint meeting of both bodies shall be convened, and the matter determined by their united vote.”

This clause has the effect of giving the Irish societies one third of the total representation on the board of management when matters affecting Ireland which are controversial in their nature are being discussed and, while maintaining that supremacy which is the right of the larger and more powerful section of the Federation, ensures that the case of Ireland shall be put and determined in an atmosphere in which the fullest consideration will be given to the arguments adduced.