THE OATCAKE DEPARTMENT.
During the period under review an extraordinary development of the business of the oatcake department took place, and an aggregate addition of thirty-eight hot-plates for the use of this department alone was installed between March 1894 and July 1897. The committee did their best to push the trade, sending circulars and samples of the cakes to societies in the North of England, with results which were beneficial to the trade of the department. Later, a traveller was employed on salary and commission to push the Federation’s goods amongst English societies. Another branch of the Society’s trade which was making rapid strides every year was that of New Year cakes. In 1896 18,870 five-pound cakes sold at the cake show, and in the following year the number rose to 25,000.
ADVERTISING AND ENTERTAINING.
The directors early recognised the value of a social meeting as a means of advertising the Society and its goods, and in December 1894 a large number of the ladies of the movement were invited to inspect the premises of the Society and were afterwards entertained to tea. From that time it became a practice of the Federation to entertain branches of the women’s guild, conference associations, etc., while they were generous in grants of bread to persons who were suffering from the effects of unemployment, whether caused by dullness in trade or strikes. During the winters of 1892–3 and 1893–4 large quantities of bread were distributed to those in want from the former cause, while during the continuance of the miners’ strike and the engineers’ strike further quantities were distributed and, in addition, a grant of £100 was made to the strike fund of the engineers. In 1895 an incident took place which at one time seemed likely to lead to friction between the two big Scottish federations. The Wholesale Society brought before its members a proposal to start a biscuit factory in Leith, with the result that the committee of the Baking Society sent out a circular to all the societies in the larger federation, protesting against the proposal as one which would set up competition between the two federations, and pointing out that it was in a position to meet all the needs of the societies in biscuits. Fortunately, the proposal went no further, and thus what would have been a bone of contention between the societies disappeared.
The Society also took advantage of every opportunity to bring the goods manufactured under the notice not only of Co-operators but of the general public. Beginning with the Congress exhibition in 1890, it continued to exhibit on every available opportunity. The Co-operative festivals which began to be organised provided suitable opportunities and, in order that the goods might be displayed as effectively as possible, a new showcase was procured from the Wholesale Society’s cabinetmaking department, at a cost of £200. In 1895 it was decided to issue a “Year Book” instead of the usual calendar. This “Year Book,” which was compiled by Mr Lochrie, of the Scottish Co-operator, contained 231 pages, including advertisements and a street map of Glasgow, in which was shown the premises of the Wholesale Society and the Baking Society, as well as the tearooms of the latter Society. The principal feature of the book was a concise little history of the Baking Society to the date of its issue. In the following year Mr James Campsie, M.A., was commissioned to write a co-operative book for children, with the title “Glimpses of Co-operative Land,” of which over 20,000 copies were issued. At the opening of the extension of the bakery in 1897, in addition to the souvenir brooches which were issued to the lady delegates, similar brooches were presented to the lady employees of the Society, a kindly and thoughtful act which doubtless had its effect in cementing the good relationship existing between them and the directors. Amongst other visitors who were shown over the premises of the Society from time to time special mention is made in the minutes of a visit which was paid by the senior pupils from four Glasgow schools, accompanied by their teachers, who were escorted through the various departments and afterwards entertained to tea.
DONATIONS.
In the early days of the Society the directors were very careful of the money of which they were the trustees, although, even then, after the first few quarters had passed, donations, amounting at first only to £5 a quarter, but gradually increasing in amount as the Society increased in wealth, were given to various public philanthropic institutions, of which the infirmaries were the principal recipients. Now these donations had increased to £175 a year, while, in addition, during the period under review £50 had been granted to the Co-operative Festival Fund; three donations, amounting in the aggregate to £550, had been given to the building fund of the Co-operative Convalescent Homes Association; £50 was given to the Perth Congress Reception Fund; £100 to the Engineers’ Strike Fund; £25 to the Cowdenbeath Society Fund; £100 in commemoration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee to the Royal Infirmary; two sums of £15 and £25 to the Municipal Election Fund of the Defence Committee; and £100 to the Indian Famine Fund; while £500 were guaranteed to the 1901 Glasgow Industrial Exhibition.
A WORKS DEPARTMENT.
With the beginning of the period the Federation’s works department may be said to have been fairly launched. The first extension of the biscuit factory had been carried out under the Society’s own auspices, and the foreman who had charge of that work was retained in the employment of the Society for repair work when the biscuit factory was finished. Then a blacksmith’s shop, which was a part of the buildings purchased by the Society in South York Street, was taken over by the Society, and a blacksmith was engaged; to be followed shortly afterwards by a plumber and a painter. The first job of any size to be tackled by the Society’s own building department, however, was the extension at the corner of Govan Street and South York Street. This job set the building department on its feet, for the total cost when finished was £29,000. From that time practically all the building work of the Society has been done by its own building department. At about the same time as the building department commenced a van building section also began work, and the first van was turned out complete in the middle of April 1896. So great was the demand for new vans, however, that for a time it could hardly be met. To some extent the boycott accounted for this, for the terrorism exercised by the traders’ organisation extended to the van building firms as well as to others, and eventually all the work of this department was done either by the Federation’s own department or by that of the Wholesale Society.