By March 1909 the extended premises were ready for occupation. It was not long ere the directors were in the mortar tub again, however, for another extension costing almost £4,000 was entered on in the autumn of 1910; and not long after it was completed there came, in December 1911, an urgent request from the advisory committee for more ovens, and another extension, at a total cost of almost £5,000, was entered on and completed in 1912. These various extensions practically completed the bakery as it stands at present, except for alterations, minor in themselves, which were made from time to time during the war period with the object of increasing the working facilities.
In July 1909 the committee recorded their satisfaction that the average weekly sales from the bakery amounted to £1,219, while in March 1910 the weekly turnover had reached 500 sacks; and to meet the increasing demand three new ovens had to be erected. The Bakery continued to win prizes at the Agricultural Hall and other exhibitions, thus proving that Co-operative bread baking on a large scale was equal to producing bread of the finest quality.
Early in 1910 the directors were saddened by the news that one of the members of the first advisory committee, Mr Crook, of Lisburn, had passed away.
Although most of the societies in the North were doing well, there were one or two which were in a bad way. In 1908 Lurgan Society had to close its doors. The Federation were creditors to the extent of £114, and when settling day came it was found that the assets of the dead society were only capable of returning 1/6 in the pound. In 1910 Newry Society went the same way. The Federation were creditors to the extent of £200, and it was expected that the assets would realise 10/ per pound. In Newry the Federation made temporary arrangements to carry on the bread trade, as had been done in Banbridge, but after some time this course was abandoned.
Shortly after the new bakery was opened the two Dublin societies were in consultation with the committee of the Federation about the erection of a bakery, and the committee agreed to assist them. The two societies were unable to agree, however, and the idea of a federal bakery for Dublin was departed from. In 1910 Dublin Industrial Society erected a bakery for themselves, and the opening of this bakery was followed in a short time by the amalgamation of the two societies. The Dublin Society, however, experienced considerable difficulty in acquiring the knack of baking good bread—their position in this respect recalls some of the earlier experiences of the U.C.B.S.—and the Federation readily consented to Mr Bell or his assistant visiting Dublin to put them on right lines. In 1913, when the distress due to the strike was at its height in Dublin and the Trade Unions Congress was coming to the rescue with financial support, the Industrial Society received a contract for the supply of from 3,000 to 5,000 loaves daily. As they were unable to handle the contract in their own bakery they secured the assistance of the U.C.B.S. bakery in Belfast, which supplied them with the needed quantity of bread during the period covered by the contract. Later, during the period of the war, the Industrial Society was in considerable difficulty for a time, and those responsible for its management were exceedingly anxious that the U.C.B.S. should take over the bakery. This was not done, however, and fortunately the society was able to maintain and even to improve its position.
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS.
At the beginning of 1909 the Bakery secured a contract for the supply of bread and flour to Newtownards Barracks, and since then have supplied from time to time that Barracks, as well as those of Holywood, Belfast, and Kilroot, while, either directly or through local societies, they have been successful in securing contracts for various local institutions, one society during the war securing the contract for the Admiralty.
In 1912 the Society had loaned some motor lorries for an excursion, and during the day a painful accident took place whereby one child was killed and three others were severely injured. The Society’s motorman was completely exonerated from blame for the accident, but in token of their sympathy the Society paid the doctor’s fees and granted £55 to the relatives. In 1913 two of the societies were experiencing difficulty in selling the bread because of the unfair competition to which they were being subjected in attempts to cause them to give up the bread trade, but the Federation came to their assistance by allowing them a little additional discount on their purchases. In 1911 the Irish Agricultural Wholesale Society was appointed agent in Ireland for the Federation, and some time later it was stated that since that federation had become agent the trade had increased. At the Dublin Congress in 1914 the Federation erected a scone and oatcake baking plant as part of their exhibit in the Congress exhibition, and this exhibit was an object of much interest to the Dublin visitors to the exhibition.
THE WAR AND ITS EFFECTS.
In Ireland, as in Scotland, the commanding position of the U.C.B.S. had a steadying effect on the price of bread at the outbreak of war. The Society carried good stocks of flour, and by adopting the fixed policy of regulating the price of bread by the average price of the flour in stock was able to maintain the price at a lower level than the current price of flour warranted. In this way, while it was possible to maintain full stocks of flour, the Bakery was able to keep the price of bread at a halfpenny per 4–lb. loaf below the price at which other bakers wished to sell it, and so saved the people of the North many thousands of pounds.