In September, an arrangement had been entered into with the Army Authorities by which the Government supplied the flour and the Baking Society baked it into bread for the troops. In addition, several contracts for biscuits for the Army were received. The first three of these totalled 200 tons. The contracts for the baking of bread for the Army continued until early in 1916, when an intimation was received from the Quartermaster of the Scottish Command that the contract would cease, as the Government were now erecting field bakeries for themselves. Two months later, however, another contract was entered into with the Scottish Command on the same terms as formerly. The contracts carried out by Clydebank and Belfast Branches have already been referred to.
EXTENSIONS AND ALTERATIONS.
For the whole of the first year of war and almost the whole of the second year, the building department of the Society was kept busy with the extension to the M‘Neil Street premises. The principal reason for this extension was the necessity for securing more space for the biscuit factory, and as soon as practicable this extension was carried through. A new travelling oven was installed early in 1915 at a cost of £175, and at the same time a new biscuit cutting machine was got at a cost of £300. A gas-fired travelling oven was also installed before the end of the year and another one, built in accordance with alterations suggested by the bakery staff, was installed in October 1916. In the spring of 1915, it was decided to cover over the space between bakehouses Nos. 11 and 12 for the purpose of providing dressing rooms for the workers, and at the same time it was decided to put fans in each flat for ventilation purposes.
M‘NEIL STREET BLOCK COMPLETED.
Parts of the new block at the Adelphi Street and South York Street corner were occupied as they were completed. Particularly, the ground floor was occupied as an extension to the biscuit factory, but it was not until June 1916 that the entire building was ready for the official opening ceremony. This was of a very modest character, for, as the chairman stated, the directors did not think the circumstances of the time lent themselves to the celebration of the opening of their splendid addition by means of a grand function, and in this he believed the board had interpreted the wishes of the delegates.
The dressing room for the female workers, which was situated on the fourth flat, was fitted up in an excellent manner. Each worker had a locker of her own, made of cast steel, of which she alone held the key. Fourteen wash-hand basins were fitted up and eight spray baths. There was also an excellently appointed sickroom, where a girl who became unwell suddenly could rest, and also a room fitted up with the appropriate scientific appliances, where accidents could be treated at once.
At the quarterly meeting, which took place on the day on which the new wing of the building was opened, the chairman stated that the total cost of the land and the buildings on it had been £11,800, while the total cost of the bakery buildings, including the addition, had been £131,000; which had been depreciated to the extent of £52,000.
BUSINESS ORGANISATION.
Shortly after the outbreak of war, the Canadian Government made a donation to the Mother Country of a large quantity of flour, and in the beginning of 1915 the Baking Society purchased 10,000 sacks of this flour. The committee decided that when the bags were emptied they should be sold as souvenirs, and from their sale the sum of £87 was realised, which was distributed amongst local war charities. In March of this year, the board had a very satisfactory conference with the board of Kinning Park Society and the dairy employees of that society. The subject of the conference was a project of Kinning Park board that the dairy shops of that society should be fitted up for the sale of teabread and pastries. Later, the board of the Baking Society discussed the question of opening shops throughout the city for the sale of smallbread and pastries, but owing to the difficulties imposed by war conditions, the subject was dropped for the time being. Immediately the Armistice was signed, however, the subject was again taken up by the board, with the result that, at the 200th quarterly meeting, proposals were submitted in which were embodied a suggestion that the Society should open a development account and offer to those societies operating in the Glasgow and Suburban area, which were willing to co-operate with the Federation, a proportion of the cost of fitting up shops for the sale of teabread and pastry. In this offer it was provided that the shop, locality, and scheme of fitting should be approved by the directors of the Federation; that only U.C.B.S. goods and confections of Co-operative manufacture should be sold for a period, the period suggested being ten years. If these provisions were agreed to the Baking Society would be responsible for one third of the cost of fitting up the shop, provided that one third did not exceed £150. The scheme received the hearty commendation of the delegates at the meeting at which it was submitted, the only objection taken being to the fact that for the time being it was confined to the Glasgow area.