THE OPENING CEREMONY.
The opening ceremony is said to have been one of the most imposing Co-operative functions ever held in Scotland. The buildings were gay with flags and bannerettes, while a military band discoursed sweet music in the courtyard. The premises were thrown open to the public, and it is estimated that more than 30,000 people passed through the building between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. More than 500 delegates were present at the luncheon, when Mr Alexander Fraser, president of the Society, presided. Stirring speeches were delivered, and the premises were declared open amid a scene of great enthusiasm.
In the evening a monster social meeting took place in the Wellington Palace, at which there were present upwards of 1,000 people. Speeches were delivered by Mr William Maxwell, chairman of the S.C.W.S., and Mr Henry Murphy, Lanark. It was generally admitted that the demonstration had proved the greatest advertisement which Co-operation in Scotland had ever received, and that the virtues of the movement had been brought to the notice of thousands of people who had never before given it a thought. The result was that a great impetus was given to the movement in Glasgow, and the great development of Co-operation in the city which has made Glasgow a stronghold of the movement began about that time. No doubt further stimulus has been given from time to time—the Congress of 1890, the opening of the S.C.W.S. central premises in Morrison Street, the Seaside Homes bazaar, the various Co-operative festivals all had an influence—but to the Baking Society much of the original impulse is due, just as to it also—through the refusal of the directors to increase the price of bread unnecessarily in the early months of the war—the latest impulse must be credited.