“While we accept Mr Craig’s resignation as manager, we desire to record our heartfelt sympathy with him in his circumstances and the high esteem in which he is held by all the members of this committee as an honest and upright individual, an intelligent and energetic man of business, and a faithful servant who, for the past two and a half years, has conducted the business to the great pecuniary advantage of all the members connected with it. While we regret the loss of such a valuable servant, we hope that he may secure in the country to which he is emigrating a restoration of health and strength, together with a due amount of worldly prosperity.”

Alas, it was not to be. No improvement took place in Mr Craig’s health from his residence abroad, and in a short time he was back in Glasgow again, his death taking place in the summer of 1877.

At the August quarterly meeting of the Society a grant of £20 was made to a testimonial which was being got up for Mr Craig, and the secretary was instructed to record in the minute of the proceedings that the grant was made

“In recognition of his sterling worth as a man and the able business abilities he showed by the successful manner in which he conducted the affairs of this Society during the period he held the office of manager to the Society.”

Mr David Smith, who had been acting as secretary since Mr Borrowman had resigned from that office, was appointed manager, and Mr Thomas Slater, London Road Society, was elected secretary.

A BAD INVESTMENT.

In the middle of September there came an appeal from the Oakmill Society that the Baking Society should invest in its funds. The matter was delayed for one reason or another, but finally, at the quarterly meeting which was held in March 1876, it was agreed to invest £200. At this time the financial position was improving every week. The profits on working were well over £30 per week, and the committee were not so chary of spending money as they had been in earlier years. Among other donations to which the Society agreed was one of £20 towards the expenses of the Co-operative Congress which was to be held in Glasgow in 1876. Several of the societies which were affiliated with the Baking Society were in a bad way at this time. Blairdardie Society had had their premises destroyed by fire, and a deputation was received by the Bakery directors. The deputation explained that the purpose of their visit was to get some consideration shown to them by giving them their regular supply of bread until they were able to complete their arrangements. The committee agreed that Blairdardie should receive their usual supply of bread for a month, at the end of which period the question would be further considered. Anderston Society also had fallen on evil days. For some time the Bakery committee had had considerable difficulty in securing prompt payment by that society for bread supplied to it, and early in 1876 they reduced by half the number of shares they held in the Bakery, as their membership was declining. They struggled on until the middle of 1878, but after taking stock in July of that year they gave up in despair and closed the shop. At the time when they closed down they were owing the Baking Society some money, and Mr Smith transferred that amount from their share account to their goods account. The chairman had, however, some doubt as to the legality of this action, and it was afterwards decided that should any of the other creditors object the Society would not take any action to uphold their claim. The debts of the Anderston Society were taken up by the Wholesale Society, however, and after a considerable amount of correspondence between the committees of the two Federations the balance of the share capital of Anderston Society was transferred by the Bakery committee to the Wholesale Society, the latter Federation agreeing to relieve the Baking Society from any responsibility they might incur by so doing.

At the beginning of the year 1878, Barrhead Society ceased to purchase bread from the Baking Society. This meant a reduction in turnover of nearly 600 dozens of bread every week, and for the time being put an end to all thoughts of branching out. Other societies, too, were going the way of Anderston, and about this time the most remarkable point in the minutes of the Baking Society is their record of the names of societies which have long ceased to have any separate existence. Maryhill, Petershill, Bloomvale, Anderston, and Southern all lived a more or less precarious existence during the first decade of the Federation’s existence, and all disappeared. One result of the failure of Anderston Society was an alteration in the rules of the Baking Society for the purpose of giving a lien on the shares of a debtor member. It was also decided about this time that societies which had ceased to be purchasers be removed from membership, and have their shares paid out to them. It was at the quarterly meeting held in December 1876 that the first mention is made of a practice which has since that time gladdened the hearts of many hundreds of weary delegates. At that meeting, Mr Neil, Kilbarchan, moved, and Mr M‘Duff, Linwood, seconded a motion: “That at our quarterly meetings in future the delegates be supplied with tea.” The motion was agreed to unanimously. The tenants of the bolt and rivet works in property owned by the Society wished for an extension of their lease or, alternatively, to be allowed to break their lease and remove, and the Society agreed to allow them to remove provided the removal was carried out in three months. At the end of May 1877 the Society’s stable in St James Street was destroyed by fire and six horses were killed; at the same time some doubts were being entertained as to the stability of the bakery itself, as it was feared that the back wall was too weak for the load of flour it had to bear. Then the members of the committee were again being worried with complaints about the quality of the bread, and especially of the fine bread. When they came to compare their bread with that manufactured by competing bakers, however, they usually were of the opinion that the bread they were baking was as good as any.

PAST PRESIDENTS
1. GABRIEL THOMSON. 2. WM. BARCLAY.
3. DONALD CAMERON. 4. ANDREW BROWN.