Page 264 - The_story_of_the_C._W._S._The_jubilee_history_of_the_cooperative_wholesale_society,_limited._1863-1913_(IA_storyofcwsjubill00redf) (1)_Neat

The Story of the C.W.S.

undertaken; and candied peels came later. When a formal
" opening " of the factory took place in June, 1897, the delegates were
in a safe position for prophesying about IMiddleton jam. On the
16th of that month of roses five hundred buyers and committee-men
assembled at Balloon Street, and went by special train direct to the
railway siding of the works. After the inspection the same train
took the company by a devious route to Belle Vue, where the diimer
was held, and the opening celebrated under the chairmanship of
Mr. ShiUito.
At the time of this festivity the floor space of the works was
equal to about three acres. The fact that it now extends to eight
acres Avitnesses to the extensions during the seventeen years,
Durmg this period the fruit-preserving plant has been largely
re-modeUed, and labour-saving devices have been introduced, more
than one of which has been invented within the works. Jam
making and the bottling of fruit have been supplemented by the
canning of fresh fruit in enormous quantities; and mincemeat and
Christmas puddings increase the present list of manufactures. A
mineral water department also has been commenced, while a malt
vinegar brewery on a large scale was set down beside the jam and
pickle factory in 1909, and is now under the same general manage-
ment. . . . C.W.S. jams were not accepted unquestioningly by
the local societies' buyers. On several occasions they had to face the
ordeal of independent analysis, but in the laboratories their good
name did not suffer. One form of competition which the Middleton
preserves had to meet was that of private jam under co-operative
societies' labels. This practice the works has succeeded in reducing
to a minimum, if it now exists.
On the financial side the works has been generally successful.
No loss appeared in any quarter until 1908, but upon the working
during the whole of that year there was a net deficit of £4,210. The
works was not then under its present management, and a temporary
falling away from the standard of quality had something to do with
the result. This, however, was an episode. Over its entire period
of working, down to the end of 1912, the works has returned a total
of £163,363. Although the vinegar brewery, under the original
separate management, started badly, it is now in course of complete
recovery. The present general manager of the entire Middleton
Works, Mr. W. J. Howard, appointed in 1908, is the third manager
which the main factory has had. It may be added that the canal,
of which there were hopes at first, gave too slow a service to be of
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