At the outbreak of war, a number of the employees had been members of the Territorial Forces and had been called up at once, and the board decided to grant them half-pay. Later, when the call for more men came, many of the employees joined up, and the directors decided that those who enlisted should be placed on the same footing as regarded half-pay as were those who had been called up at the outbreak of war. At this quarterly meeting the directors were accused by a representative of the Bonus Investment Society of not being so generous to their employees who were serving with the Colours as were some other Co-operative societies, but the chairman was able to satisfy the delegates that, in those cases where generosity was most necessary—those of wives with large families—the Baking Society’s scheme was the one which gave the wife the larger total income.
This meeting was the one at which the method of giving the minutes in the form of synopses was first adopted, and one of the delegates took occasion to compliment the secretary on having produced synopses of the various minutes which gave the delegates enough information about the business done to enable them to find out what was taking place. At this meeting also a grant of £100 was made to the Belgian Relief Fund, the chairman stating that further grants could be made if occasion demanded. Other donations made were:—£500 to the War Relief Fund, £100 to the Lord Mayor of Belfast’s Fund, and £100 to the fund being raised by the Provost of Clydebank. It was urged very strongly by several of the delegates that the administration of the relief fund should be in the hands of the Government. In the minute of the board meeting of 2nd October, the fact is noted that during the past quarter the Society’s motors had covered a distance of 125,015 miles. It had certainly been a busy quarter.
ARMY CONTRACTS.
Immediately the war broke out, the United Baking Society were inundated with Army contracts. In the first few days they had to make arrangements for supplying camps all over the country, in addition to those for which they had held the contracts. These new camps included those at Perth, Inverness, Falkirk, and Dunblane, and all were supplied at current prices. Yet, notwithstanding the fact that the Baking Society were doing much work for the Army in that first week of the war, they were not allowed to escape from some of the other discomforts which come to the owners of horses and vehicles in a nation at war. On the 6th of August 18 horses, two motors, and one lorry were commandeered for military purposes. Other large bakers suffered in the same way, and on behalf of all of them a telegram was sent to the Officer in Command, pointing out the importance of the work which was being done by the baking firms in the distribution of food, and complaining that serious hardship to the people would ensue if bakers’ horses were removed. With this telegram the committee of the Baking Society associated themselves. To enable them to overtake their work, the Society decided to purchase several motors which had been offered to them, while a circular-letter, explaining the position, was sent out to the societies. That the War Office officials were not ungrateful for the assistance which had been rendered them in the emergency of mobilisation was shown by the fact that at the board meeting which was held on 7th August, letters of congratulation on the manner in which the service of bread to two camps had been carried out were read to the committee.
Among the minor results due to the war may be mentioned the cancelling of a number of social meetings, excursions, marriages, etc., and the closing down of the holiday camp at the end of August. At the beginning of October, another attempt was made by the Glasgow Master Bakers’ Association to have the price of bread raised, but again the directors of the Baking Society blocked the way. At the same time, however, the committee came to the decision that, in view of all the circumstances, they would not raise any objection should another overture be made. At the beginning of October, the situation was again reviewed and, in view of the fact that by the beginning of the year the price of flour would be greatly in advance of that then being used, it was agreed to resist no longer a slight advance in the price of bread. For three months the Society had been the means of keeping the price of bread at the rate at which it was being sold at the outbreak of war. If we assume that their action influenced only two hundred thousand households, and that the average consumption of bread in each household was only one 2–lb. loaf per day, this action of the Baking Society was responsible for saving to these householders in three months no less a sum than £21,250, and probably double that sum, for that only supposes an advance of one farthing per loaf. The first advance in the price of bread took place on 16th November. In Belfast the price of bread had been advanced ¼d. per 2–lb. loaf on 19th October.
DEATH OF BISCUIT FACTORY MANAGER.
Mr John Gilmour took charge of the Society’s biscuit factory shortly after it was commenced, and he continued to manage it until his death, which took place on 9th October 1914. He was highly respected by both directors and workmen for his devotion to business and his tact and kindness in dealing with those under him. He was succeeded by Mr William Ninian, who had the distinction of being a Bakery-trained man and who was acting as Mr Gilmour’s assistant at the time of that gentleman’s death.
At the quarterly meeting, the chairman made fitting and sympathetic reference to the loss which the Society had sustained through the death of Mr Gilmour. He also referred to the retiral from active work of one of the Society’s bread bakers, Mr W. Lees, who had been in the employment of the Society for forty and a half years. During the quarter an electrically-driven motor had been at work in Glasgow for the Society. It was proving very satisfactory and the board, he said, considered that before long these electrically-driven cars would replace horses on the streets, although petrol-driven cars would still be used for the long journeys.
At this quarterly meeting, some of the delegates wished to know why the board had decided that they would no longer resist an increase in the price of bread seeing that in their minutes they stated that their contract for flour was still unbroken. The chairman, in replying, pointed out that flour at the moment was about 10/ higher in price than before the war, and the board thought it better that the price should be raised by a halfpenny now than that it should be put a penny or three halfpence later, when the stock of cheap flour was completely exhausted. He also stated that eighty-six of the Society’s employees were then serving in the Army. At this quarterly meeting, also, the question of granting relief to what were termed “innocent enemy aliens,” in other words, British women who had married subjects of nations at war with Britain, and who through the operation of war were left destitute in this country, was raised through an appeal on their behalf issued by the International Co-operative Alliance executive. A proposal was made to grant £25 to the fund which was being raised, but this was defeated by a two to one majority. The cake show was held this year as usual, but, as was to be expected, the sales were not so great as in some former years. The price had been advanced on the average one penny per pound. In their report to the delegates to the December quarterly meeting, the directors stated that they would regard it as an instruction to make no increase in the prices of their goods so long as they were able to work without actual loss.