The directors were gradually coming to the opinion that it was not possible for them to keep in that close touch with the work of all the various departments in their spare time which was necessary, and had discussed the subject on several occasions. The result was that a definite motion “to appoint a general manager” was tabled and was discussed on two or three occasions, after which a special committee was appointed to go into the whole question of the management of the Federation. When this special committee brought in their report, it was adopted in principle in the somewhat vague form, “that someone be appointed to represent the committee during working hours.” Naturally, this gave rise to several questions at the following general meeting of the Society, but no definite expression of opinion for or against was forthcoming from the meeting, so that the committee were left to pursue their own way unfettered. This they did at a later meeting by advertising for a general manager, who should be possessed of a good, general knowledge of business, and be in sympathy with the movement. As to his duties, it was agreed that all goods should be purchased by the committee through him, and invoiced to one centre, and that he should conduct all correspondence and see that the instructions of the committee were carried out, as well as maintaining discipline, regularity, and good order. Mr James Bain, secretary, and Mr James Young, director, were amongst the applicants for the position, and, perhaps for that reason, it was decided to take a ballot vote on the seven candidates who had been interviewed. The result was that Mr Young was appointed, and it was agreed that he take up his duties on 29th May 1899.
THE TEAROOMS.
The tearoom adventure was proving only moderately successful, and, in reply to a question, the chairman admitted at one meeting that the profit shown on the balance-sheet had all been made by the purvey department. At another meeting, he stated in reply to a question about electricity that at M‘Neil Street, where they generated their own current, they found electric lighting to be cheaper than gas, but where they had to take their supplies from the Corporation it was more costly, his reply being—“In West Nile Street, where we get our supply from the Corporation, it is nearly killing the place.” The organ of the Traders’ Association made great fun of this remark, stating that “the tearooms in West Nile Street must be in a perilous condition when the difference in the cost of gas and electricity is nearly killing the business”; and went on to point out that “tearooms must have a practical proprietor.” “Here, then, is an excellent example of the fact that where overcharges cannot be made on the goods sold, Co-operation cannot prosper.” Doubtless the Commercial Record man was entitled to his little chuckle, but his premises being faulty, his conclusions were equally faulty. There were other factors than overcharges which entered into the failure of the U.C.B.S. to make a commercial success of their tearoom business, and led to its being finally abandoned. It is probable that the West Nile Street place was too large and too heavily rented to permit any firm, however experienced, to make tearooms a success in a back street. Then, the people who acquire the tearoom habit are business people, and are therefore not too friendly disposed to any Co-operative enterprise and, having a very wide choice of such establishments, their prejudices took them elsewhere. That Co-operative tearooms can be made a success, even in Glasgow, the Drapery and Furnishing Society has proved, but it is questionable whether Co-operative tearooms anywhere, which are not conducted as an adjunct to other businesses, and very near to central drapery or similar premises, have ever proved successful, and there is no place in Great Britain where the ordinary tearoom is so good as in Glasgow, and, therefore, where a Co-operative tearoom which is called to stand on its own legs, so to speak, has such strenuous competition to face.
In August 1899 Mr Robert Watson resigned to take over the management of the S.C.W.S. dining and purvey department, and a Mr J. M. Picken was appointed his successor. The management of the purvey and tearoom departments were also separated. Mr Picken did not prove a success, however, and was succeeded by Mr Thomson. At the end of the lease, the Society decided to give up the Main Street purveying branch, but to keep on the tearooms. At several general meetings suggestions had been made that the Society should open tearooms of a cheaper class, to suit the pockets of the workers, and the committee made some inquiries about this but found that the rents in the city were very high. A place in Clydebank was considered but abandoned owing to the lack of accommodation, and also because of opposition to the project from the committee of Clydebank Society. It was decided finally to fit up the Main Street shop for this purpose, but, after a short trial, the tearoom there was given up.
THE DELIVERY QUESTION.
For some unexplained reason the people of Glasgow and district have always been particularly addicted to the consumption of new bread. Time after time efforts have been made to wean them from this indigestion-producing habit, but all in vain until the Great War came and with it a shortage of grain, necessitating the husbanding of the nation’s bread supplies. Then, without any fuss, with scarcely a murmur even, the people submitted for two years to a restriction which prohibited the sale of bread until it had been out of the ovens for a period of at least twelve hours. This demand for new bread had always been a source of worry to the Baking Society. There was, on the one hand, the restrictions imposed by the Operatives’ Union as to the hour of commencing work, which regulated the hour at which the bread came out of the ovens; on the other hand, there was the demand of the members of local societies for new bread at an early hour and, as a consequence, the demands by the societies for early delivery of bread. These demands for early delivery the Society was only able partially to meet; and the distance of some of the shops from the centre made it quite impossible that they should be supplied with bread which was steaming hot from the oven. Hence, week after week, the committee had to deal with complaints about lateness of delivery. Time after time the chairman appealed to societies at the quarterly meetings to be less insistent in their demands for hot bread, but without avail, for no sooner did one society respond for a little to these appeals than others began to demand that they get the bread hot and early.
At length, toward the end of 1898, the subject was taken up by the Convention of City Societies, and the Baking Society’s board being only too willing to render all the assistance in their power, a representative meeting was held in the Union Hall, West Nile Street, at which Mr James Bain, secretary of the U.C.B.S., read a paper. Mr Bain entitled his paper “Our Bread Delivery,” and dealt at length with the craze for new bread and the difficulties which it imposed on bakers and baking firms. He began by describing the evil conditions which it had introduced into the baking trade, the principal of which was probably the “jobber,” or half-day man. Alluding to a correspondence which had been going on in a Glasgow paper for some time, he said that they, in M‘Neil Street, could not describe the jobbers as anything but clean, respectable, intelligent tradesmen, the majority of whom were only waiting until a regular opening occurred for them. Under a more humane system, however, they could all be dispensed with, and all the men required could be employed regularly. Mr Bain pointed out that the limited time between the hour when the bakers started work and that at which societies demanded that they should have their bread delivered was too short to allow the bread to be thoroughly and carefully prepared. The rush did not allow the bread room workers the time necessary to pack the vans carefully, so that it frequently happened that the bread was crushed and bruised into shapes it was never intended to assume. The demand for new bread also entailed great hardships on the bakers because of the early hour at which they had to begin work, and he was convinced, he said, that bread baked in the morning and delivered in the afternoon, and bread baked in the afternoon and delivered next morning, would be healthier and more suitable for use. All the medical opinion was against the use of new bread; certain chemical changes took place in the bread after it was baked and before it was fit for consumption, and some hours were necessary to permit these changes to take place. He suggested, as a remedy, that the Co-operative societies should lead the way in fostering a demand for stale bread, and that the bakers, through their Union, should assist in educating the general public into a more rational system.
Commenting on this subject, the Scottish Co-operator said:—
“It is the duty of co-operators to make arrangements which will allow those who produce the bread to work under conditions which will allow them to live more enjoyable lives than they do at present. There are no reasons why they should not begin work at 6 a.m., and the first delivery of bread might be made by 11 o’clock, while that baked in the afternoon could be kept until next morning, and delivered as soon as the stores are open. All that is required to make this possible is a little rational co-operation between the Baking Society, the distributive societies, the salesmen, and the members.”
Unfortunately, this rational co-operation was not forthcoming; the practice continued, and it required a world war, which accustomed the people to many other and greater inconveniences, to bring about a reform which practically everyone believes to be desirable.