Chapter I: Preface

The chief advantage of prefaces is the opportunities they give authors for making apologies and for returning thanks. In the present instance the hurry with which the book has had to be written did not allow time enough to do many things which the writer would have liked to do. He would have liked to linger with the old-time enthusiasts who laid the foundations of the Society, to have made himself as familiar as possible with the times in which they lived and with the thoughts in their minds, so that he might be able to present to his readers a picture of their times as they saw them, and of their difficulties as they had to encounter them. For this there was no time, and so he has had to content himself with telling a plain, unvarnished tale of difficulties met and overcome, of a faith which refused to be dismayed, and of a triumph which is visible to all.

Unfortunately, there is no one alive to-day who had any active part in the inception of the Society. This increased the difficulty of presenting a true picture of the beginnings of the Society, but some help in this direction was got from the “Year Book,” which had been written by Mr Lochrie in 1896. The writer is also very much indebted to Mr David Brown, of the office staff of the Society, who prepared synopses of the various minutes of the Society. These synopses, by indicating the salient points in the minutes, greatly lightened the labour of selection; but, in addition, every minute has been carefully read at least once, and many of them much oftener, so that complete accuracy might be secured.

Great assistance in dealing with the history of the last thirty years has also been given by Mr James H. Forsyth, cashier of the Society, whose knowledge of the transactions of that period is unparalleled.

W. R.

CONTENTS.

CHAP. PAGE
I. SCOTLAND IN THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES 1
II. THE DAWN OF CO-OPERATION 7
III. THE FIRST YEAR 17
IV. ST JAMES STREET BAKERY 29
V. THE BRANCH CONTROVERSY 43
VI. ST JAMES STREET: DEVELOPMENTS 56
VII. ST JAMES STREET: CONGESTION 69
VIII. M‘NEIL STREET 82
IX. M‘NEIL STREET: RAPID DEVELOPMENTS 97
X. FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS 110
XI. FURTHER EXTENSIONS 123
XII. CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT 144
XIII. CLYDEBANK BRANCH 158
XIV. BELFAST BRANCH 166
XV. A NEW PRESIDENT 184
XVI. FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH 197
XVII. PROGRESS CONTINUES STEADY 210
XVIII. BAKING UNDER WAR CONDITIONS 224
XIX. BREAD BAKING UNDER CONTROL 238
XX. EDUCATIONAL WORK 253
XXI. MEN WHO WROUGHT 262
STATISTICS 273

ILLUSTRATIONS.

CENTRAL PREMISES _Frontispiece_ COBURG STREET AND ST JAMES STREET PREMISES _Facing page_ 16 M‘NEIL STREET PREMISES „ 17 M‘NEIL STREET PREMISES „ 32 CLYDEBANK BAKERY „ 33 PAST PRESIDENTS (1) „ 64 PAST PRESIDENTS (2) „ 65 PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY „ 80 AUDITORS „ 81 DIRECTORS (1) „ 112 DIRECTORS (2) „ 113 BELFAST ADVISORY COMMITTEE „ 128 MANAGER AND CASHIER „ 129 EDUCATIONAL COMMITTEE „ 160 PRIZE SILVER BAND „ 161 BELFAST BAKERY „ 176 ST MUNGO HALLS „ 177 DEPARTMENTAL MANAGERS (1) „ 208 DEPARTMENTAL MANAGERS (2) „ 209 DEPUTATIONS TO ENGLAND (1) „ 224 DEPUTATIONS TO ENGLAND (2) „ 225 ROLL OF HONOUR „ 277