Page 375 - The_story_of_the_C._W._S._The_jubilee_history_of_the_cooperative_wholesale_society,_limited._1863-1913_(IA_storyofcwsjubill00redf) (1)_Neat

The First C.W.S. Creamery.
afterwards; while in September, 1888, the Hon. (now Sir) Horace
Plunkett and Mr. R. A. Anderson joined forces. The Irish Aid
Association was then replaced by an Irish Section of the Co-operative
Union, with the two last-named gentlemen as its chairman and
secretary. By 1894 thirty-three co-operative dairy societies and
thirteen retail stores had been formed under the fostering of the new
section. . . . The year 1894 also saw the commencement of
the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society, with Mr. Plunkett in
the chair and Mr. Anderson as secretary; while a butter-selhng
federation of the co-operative dairy societies, which had existed
on paper since 1891, definitely appeared in public as the Irish
Co-operative Agency Society in 1893.
Interested in Irish butter supplies since 1866, well in touch with
Danish butter makers, and allied with the movement for furthering
co-operation in Ireland, the C.W.S. had every reason for encouraging
the Irish butter producers. Its friendUness soon was proved. The
first co-operative dairy society in Ireland was registered in 1889 as
the DromcoUogher Co-operative Dairy Factory Society. Amongst
its promoters was the late Mr. W. L. Stokes, at that time the C.W.S.
butter buyer in Limerick—and at Mr. Stokes' suggestion the rules
were dravra up by Mr. J. C. Gray. The C.W.S. Quarterly Meetings
of December, 1889, endorsed the recommendation of the Committee
to take up ten £1 shares in this first dairy society, while a year later
the Wholesale Society became a shareholder to the same extent in
two similar productive efforts. One of these was the Castlemahon
Creamery in the Limerick district. This society struggled on for
two years and then fell almost into its grave. The trouble was
brought about, said Mr. R. A. Anderson, through the members
" " The being about
preferring politics to business." parties
equally divided," said Mr. Pumphrey, " when one side was managing
the creamery the other side refused to send their milk, and vice versd."
In desperation, the committee and shareholders advertised their
premises as to let. The Wholesale Society at this time was not
anxious to engage in this form of production. The Committee had
deputed one of its members (Mr. Hibbert), together with the chief
butter bu3^er (Mr. Pearson) to consider this as a possible departure,
and the report had been that it was better for the farmers to form
co-operative creameries. It was only to save the enterprise that
the C.W.S. now became tenants of Castlemahon for a year. The
Wholesale Society added a new separator, worked the business
successfully, and then offered to restore the creamery to the Dairy
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