fOHNI I I UNWf F-tM? y I IftHAHV 3 1924 087 522 441 &!:>• V-'^ljS.O-i',' CORNELL UNIVERSITY ilr LIBRARY Martin P. Catherwood Library School of Industrial and Labor Relations The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924087522441 Accrington and Church Industrial Co-operative Society Limited. - HISTORY OF Fifty Years' Progress. :: BY JAMES HASLAM. Proj A^ARTIN P. CATHERWOOD U I iARY ,^,^NEWYORK STATE SCHOOL)^ •INDUSTRIAL AND UBORRELflON! Cornell University A Souvenir in Commemoration of the Society's Jubilee, 1860-1910. ivS Printed by the Co'Operative Newspaper Society Limited, Long Millgate, Manchester. Botks we know are a substantial wotld, both pure and gooa. — Wordsworth. PREFACE. THERE are many things that I would like to have said in writing a few words to this history ; but I have left myself with space enough only to submit one or two explanations of the task that was set me when I was entrusted with the work. The difficulty of securing material relating to the operations of the society, in the earlier years of its career, was greater than I had anticipated. I was compelled to begin writing, through the exigencies of time, before I had obtained all the connecting links that were necessary to make some- thing like a complete structure. At first it was like build- ing a house without knowing what colour and shape of material were likely to be placed in my hands as the edifice was being reared. This involved considerable work in reconstruction. But gradually missing links were discovered in one place or another, and added to with that joy which one realises when a task that once seemed almost impossible, begins to assume a stage of complete- ness. There may be flaws, of course, in the structtire ; but I venture to say that these are not so numerous as I was at one time afraid they would be. For the first twenty-five years of the society's career no systematic record of its proceedings had been preserved. Most of the details of what appears of that period in this volume 4 PREFACE. were gleaned from talks with old members, local news- papers, the old Co-operator, and most of all from the valuable pages of the Co-operative News. But when the records of these years had been garnered, and there was a feeling that all that was to come after would be plain sailing, we were scared by the hand- writing of the secretary (Mr. W. Ashworth) who first began a tabulated account of the society's proceedings. There is a note of humour in this now that the ordeal is over. But the following minute passed by the general board, on January 6th, 1887, will suflSce to convey an idea of the situation : — That our secretary be advanced in wages five shillings •weekly, with the following proviso : " That he try to write his correspondence so that it may be easily read, or allow one of the clerks to write the correspofldence and secretary sign the same." But all's well that ends well. Without recording any names, I tender my most sincere thanks to all who have willingly assisted me. It has been a labour of love to the members of the Historic Sub-committee, who have been ever ready to come to my aid. I have been helped more than anj'^thiag by theii patience and good fellow- ship. I now leave the history to speak for itself. It is to be hoped that young and old will find something of interest and instruction in its chapters, and most of all something stimulating to greater deeds. The pages are more numerous than they were at first intended to be ; and at the end of the volume will be foimd a brief accovmt of the industrial development of the town and district PREFACE. 5 in which the co-operative society has played a most noble and useful part. It will be noticed that throughout the history of the society many references have been made to the state of the great cotton industry. This has been done because it is notable to what an extent the proceedings have been affected by the changes in the condition of this staple trade. In almost all cases in which the society has had a temporary reduction in its periodical returns, it has been due to distress arising from a depression in the manufacture offcotton goods. But it should not be forgotten that in all instances of a general decline in the labour market, membership with the co-operative society has been the most effective means of helping the working classes to tide over their domestic and economic difBctdties. Always bear that in mind. J. H. Manchester, September 22nd, 1910. CONTENTS. PAGE. Committees lo Chapter I. The Beginning 13 II I/aying the Foundation 20 III. First Appearance in Public 28 IV Early Officials'and Committeemen 34 V. FirstJDecade 37 VI. SecondfDecade 49 VII. Second Decade {continued) 58 VIII. End of Second Decade 70 IX. Third Decade 77 X. Fourth Decade 95 XI. Fifth Decade 112 XII. End of Fifth Decade 127 XIII. Educational Work 143 XIV. The Women's Guild 154 XV. Past, Present, and Future 161 XVI. Biographical Sketches 168 XVTI. Jubilee Celebrations 180 XVIII. Industrial Accrington 194 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Central Premises Frontispiece Mr. J. Wolstenholme (First President) > - betw'n pp. 8-9 Mr. Geo. Brownbill, J. P. (Present President)) Briggs' Entry opposite page i6 Where Early General Meetings were held . . ,, „ 20 Entrance to General Ofl&ces „ 28 Mr. Cooper (First Secretary) „ 28 Old Members „ „ 32 First Two Balance Sheets '. . . between pp. 40-41 Messrs. G. Hayhurst and J. Lord opposite page 48 President and Officials „ „ 52 Members of Board of Management , „ 60 Members of Board of Management , „ 64 Conference Committee „ „ 68 Nurses Home, Church , „ 76 Branch Shops ,, „ go Branch Shopi> , 84 Branch Shops , „ 92 Branch Shops „ „ 96 Branch Shops „ „ 100 Branch Shops 108 Branch Shops „ 112 Branch Shops , ., 116 Branch Shops , „ 124 ■p> -^^ '^f.^' A\R.WoLSTefiyiOLAe FIRST PReSIDGM" .^ \ >.. A / :\ ^xji) GeO,BP-OWMB!LL€SQj.'^ pcesiperiT Yg^ji:^ UST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Stanches : Millinery and Drapery opposite page 1 32 Croft House „ „ 140 Education Committee Women's Guild Committees Jubilee Committee , Jubilee Procession (OflScials) , Jubilee Procession (Children) , Jubilee Procession (Showing Banner) , Old Polks' Treat Old Accrington , Main Street and Municipal Buildings . 148 156 160 164 172 176 180 188 192 COMMITTEES 1910. GENERAL. President : GEO. Brownbili,, J. P. Manager : Wilwam KoiMSS. Assistant Manager : GEO. Blackledoe. Secretary : ALFRED Greenwood. Committee : Councillor J. Charnock. Councillor A. T. Townsend, J. P. Joseph Booth. J. R. Shuttleworth. William Holmes, Junr. George Tilstone. J. P. Crawford. Henry Heyworth. Ellis Clegg. John Hargrbaves. EDUCATIONAL. Chairman : George Gastall. Secretary : P. W. BoliTho. Treasurer . W. A. I/AMBERT. Committee . Samuel Cottam. William Slater. Daniel Holden. Joseph Pilkington. Abram. Shttttleworth, Jesse James Healey. Benjamin Birtwell. William Grimshaw. CONFERENCE. Chairman : Geo. Brownbill, J. P. Secretary : J. R. ShxjTTLEWORTH. Committee : D. DeardEn. John Hitchon. Coun. a. T. Townsend, J.P. W. R. Garner. William Holmes, Junr. Henry Heyworth. Richard Woods. Joseph Booth. George Tilstonb. JAS. Hargreaves. Ellis Clegg. James F. Crawford. Councillor J. Charnock. A. Ball. J. Heaton. COMMITTEES. II WOMEN'S GUILD. ACCRINGTON : President : Mrs. Ha worth. Secretary : Miss D. Whitemoss. Treasurer : Mrs. Spencer. Mrs. Parkinson. Mrs. Mui,HAi,i,. Miss Woods. Mrs. I/UNX. Mrs. HiNDtE. Mrs. Braceweix. Mrs. Pickup. Church : President : Mrs. W. Haworth. Secretary : Mrs. Hooley. Treasurer : Mrs. Thorpe. Committee : Mrs. Carter. Mrs. Bari,ow Mrs. Stephenson. Miss Smith. We can try to make our common brotherhood wiser and happier ; We can build forward where they were forced to leave off. And bring nearer to perfection the great edifice which they left incompleted. — Longfellow. Pioneers ! Pioneers ! — Whixman. Ristorp or Cooperation In jlccrlngton. CHAPTER I. How the Spirit of Co-operation Entered Accringrton — Humble Beeinninsr — The Ring of the Dialect — ^The Division of Goods — Meetings in Brings' Entry — The Attitude of Shopkeepers. THE BEGINNING. WHEN the weavers of Accrington were moved with the spirit of co-operation, fifty years ago, the general conditions of the town and the character of the people were rather different from what they are to-day. But a survey of the changes in the residents and in the streets and the buildings and the institutions of the town appears elsewhere in this history. In connection with the beginning of the Accrington and Church Co-operative Society I,td., there are one or two details missing, which, perhaps, will be never brought to light ; they have gone to the grave with the good men who were responsible for their creation. But enough has been preserved and recalled by pioneers who are still with us, to enable us to give reasonable coherency to a story of the development of co-operation in this now important centre of social, mimicipal, and industrial life. When you try to look 14 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. back into the history of an organisation that has existed for iifty years, one's mind is prompted with peculiar reflections. This is more particularly the case where an institution was begu.i under rather obscure circum- stances by a group of humble men, and has since grown from one triumphant stage to another, till it has become one of the very soundest and one of the most prevailing influences in the community. The remarkable success of co-operation in Accrington and Church, as in many other places, touches one's imagmation with regard to possibilities of the future. And how came this thing to spread among the men and women of our large centres of life and labour ? It was all developed out of faith and work, and increased ability and confidence, one with another, amongst the worldng classes. And to find the essence of that faith, which stimulated the work and cultivated the confidence, one must go back to the pio.ieers. One wonders if the bulk of the working classes will ever reahse what they owe to pioneers of reform— they who have always been willing to make sacrifice to take up the burden and the lesson and the task eternal. The writer of these pages has felt more pride and reaUsed more joy in wandering about the streets of Accrington with one of your pioneers — ^Mr. James Parkinson — than he would have done with any of the more distinguished citizens. But let us see what we can learn of the beginning of this society. The pioneers must never have realised that what they were inaugurating would become so great and influential in their native or adopted town. Perhaps, if they had, they would have been just a little more careful about recording their deliberations. Like a serial story in a weekly newspaper, some of the records of the beginning have a knack of breaking off at an interesting point, but, unhke the newspaper serial, the thread of the story was not always taken up agaia. Perhaps, however, they had other things to think about, other things to do. And they were poor men, too, and could not very well afford to spend money on books and writing materials. CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 15 They were rich in faith ; but you cannot buy secretarial requirements with faith— not even in these days. You naturally put the questions to the pioneers, " What prompted you to make a start ? What made you think of combining in this way for your own interests in common ? " And what is their answer ? Well they had heard of what had been done at Rochdale and other places. They knew that they were being dealt with unjustly by the local shopkeepers. And there kept coming, from over the hills, news of the success which had met the humble efforts of the flannel weavers of Rochdale, where there had then been a co-operative society in existence for about sixteen years. And as Mr. James Parkinson, one of the surviving pioneers, says, " We said amung eawrsels, ' what they can do in Rochdale, we can do in Accrington.' An' we had a try." One likes to hear the ring of the dialect in these pioneers. It seems to coincide so much with the sternness and the reality of the men who made the movement. As Mr. Parkinson has often said, " It wor hard then — in them times." But they were hard men. They were men who had been made hard and firm and shrewd by circumstances. They lived in sanded kitchens and not upholstered sitting-rooms. They were the men whose combined labour made our supremacy in the manu- facture of cotton cloth. Whilst others have enriched themselves, individually, out of this great industry, they were content to give their time and talent on behalf of the progress and interests of their own class. Are they not to be honoured ? In another fifty years, when the democracy of co-operation has achieved still greater distinctions in social and industrial life, the foresight and the sacrifice and the practical grasp of these men will, perhaps, be all the more glorified in memory. It may be taken, however, as granted that the Ac- crington and Church Co-operative Society was origiaally talked over, and afterwards formed, in the diminutive room of the Accrington Weavers' Society in Briggs' Entry or Yard, Abbey Street. As Mr. Parkinson says : l6 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. " We used to meet there, an' tawk abeawt this co- operation. We didn't know what it wor, quite, but we thought we'd have a try at it. We had been readin' about Rochdale. An' fooak as used to come over from Rochdale way would tell us about it. An' so we started." And they used to meet in the little room of the weavers' committee, and the first trouble that seemed to arise was due to the fact that they were burning the candles of the weavers' society in. the dim light of which to talk about co-operation. It has been said by some one of them that there was more light thrown on the subject than there was in the room, for one candle had to suffice. And as a proof of that independence which characterised co-operative pioneers in most parts of the country, they objected to con- sume the candles belonging to the weavers' organisation. They said they would have their own, and be indebted to no man. And so they bought one each in turn. Week after week they met and talked in this way, trying, at the same time, to induce others to join them. Perhaps the rest had better be told in Mr. Parkinson's vivid way : — We hardly did owt else but talk about this co-operation. There was another party agate talkin' at Steiner's Calico Print Works at Church — at t' Turkey-red Works. An' we thowt as if we started at Accrington we should goo on aw reet. As we kept meetin' an' talkin' in t' waivers' rooms, an' in t' factory an' awhoam Uke, others joined us. There was John Rush ton for one, an' Robert Ingham and Peter Thomas for others. We put old Peter in for the first treasurer. Peter, too, was the first shopmen. Eh, he wor a noted character ; an' we thowt as long as Peter was with us we could do owt. We all worked in the mills. I was a weaver; Ingham and Rushton worked at the print works. An' we thought we'd make a start by havin' what we called a ' ' buy in." We clubbed us money together an' purchased some tea an' soap ; we bought them at Blackburn, an' got George Whittaker to bring them in his cart ; George wor a carrier. We divided the goods an' discovered as we could make that game pay. So we went on havin' a ' ' buy in." We got the goods delivered at first in the weavers' room, and then at James Wolstenholme's house, 34, Plantation Street. Jim wor a block printer, an' he lived in a lobbied house. We used to sell these articles amung Briggs' Entry: Where pioxeers iirst met. CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. ^^ eawrsels in Jim's front room. T' membership wor then about thirty or forty. We used to take more goods than we wanted just at the time in order to save labour. We did a rare good soap trade. I used to buy myself about six pound at once. We had no license at first, an' we had to do eawr tradin' secretly. We deposited a shillin' a week towards the capital account, an' stopped whatever we could out t' dividend for a bit o' capital to be gooin' on wi.' We used to get some of eawr stufF on credit. Although the society was not registered till after the middle of i860, it is evident that these weavers had been practising a system of co-operative buying. There are indications that an attempt was made to form something in the shape of a society, a little prior to i860. But the ideas of the weavers were certainly not over- ambitious. " A few of us got together," says one pioneer, " and thought of starting a grocery department of our own." Two things were evident — the weavers had either been zealously moved by the spirit of co-operation in an irresistible way, or they were being severely exploited by local tradesmen in respect to the price of food. No doubt the two circumstances were combined. Earnings then were not so good as now ; weavers who generally had charge of three looms did not make more than 15s. or i6s. per full week. There were then only about 3,400 houses in Accrington compared to about 11,000 to-day ; the population was about 17,688 compared to about 47,000 in the middle of 1909. In 1861 the rateable value was £35,782 ; at present it is about £193,000. But, in spite of the low economic state of the working men fifty years ago, the pioneers willingly subscribed towards the beginning of their proposed co-operative dealing with one another. Robert Greenwood, of Burnley (who has passed away since the writing of this history was started), put down a sovereign at one of the night meetings in Briggs' Entry ; about thirty others sub- scribed one shilling each, and, as Mr. James Parkinson has said, weavers hadn't many shillings to spare in those days. The ddte on which the pioneers first met in Briggs' Entry is doubtful. The initial meeting is thought to have been on a Tuesday night, when only about four l8 CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. were present ; they were weavers and married men. To put the purpose of the gathering in their own words, " We just met together to have a talk about this co-operation what we'd heeard about, an' to see if us working chaps in Accrington couldn't do summat." They did much ; they set the ball rolling, so to speak. They inspired other workmen with the idea that had moved them. They went about preaching in the wilderness. Co- operation was talked about in the home, the inn, the workshop, and at the street corners. Three weeks after the meeting of the " original four," there was another gathering at the weavers' committee room. This time there were thirty or forty present. There were young men and elderly men, but all had advanced ideas. Henry Whittaker acted as secretary, whilst Peter Thomas occupied the chair. Thus the ice was broken, and considerable difficulty was experienced in convincing fellow-workmen that co-operation wa;3 a right and good principle. And the difficulty was not in any way lessened by the opposition that came from the shopkeepers. But, fortunately, pioneers of great movements are not men who are easily thrust aside from their faith ; and so the seed was sown by those who were prepared to nourish and protect it, in fair or rough weather. It grew, and the harvest is still with us. And what class of men were these pioneers ? In 1859, Accrington was more or less a country place. It was divided from Church by fields and rural lanes. James Parkinson was bom at Bingley, in 1836 ; he came to Accrington in 1853, from Giggleswick, to work at Broad Oak Mill, then, and stiU, known as the " new factory." He went to work at seven years of age as a half-timer ; was a full-timer at ten years of age. His father, who was a carder, died when James was two years old. He went to school only " for a bit." As a man, he attended the Mechanics' Institute at Accrington, paying from 2s. to 2S. 6d. per quarter. Education, he says, was then practically unknown among working men. About the time that he found his CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 1 9 way to Accrington, a number of weavers came to reside there from Settle, where they had been badly treated ; these men were the originators of trade unionism in the town among the textile workers. They started a union a few months before co-operation was com- menced, and engaged a solicitor (a Mr. Roberts) who was familiarly known as " Yellow Breeches." Now these men from Settle were smaiting under a keen sense of injustice. They had been driven from their native place by hard and harsh circumstances. Hence their desire to mend thingi, and to protect themselves by trade unionism. Having secured employment at Accrington, they then found that they were being imposed upon by local shopkeepers. " We had," says one of them, "to take their stuff at their price or leave it." Hence, the preparation of their minds for co-operation. They had seen some of the small traders enter into the business of manufacturing and become masters, out of the profits extorted from the poor weavers. And so co-operation had its beginning in the will of these lowly-paid, uneducated workmen, at a time when it was dangerous to one's welfare to combine against the exploitation of monopoly. CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 21 Union Street. They used to meet also in a singing- room, which is now a part of the private house at the corner of Abbey Street and Syke Street, then tenanted by one Benjamin I/ang. Some of the meetings were lively. That we can well understand. Days of liveliness in co-operative societies are not yet dead ; they will not be so long as we have progress to make. The probability is that the first informal meeting at which any intention was shown ,to start a society took place at a private house, at No. 3, Burnley Road, then tenanted by John Nunwick, whose wife was the sister of Robert Greenwood, one of the pioneers. They next assembled at the Weavers' Com- mittee Room. There is ample evidence, too, showing that the original intention of the weavers was to buy a few goods among themselves at wholesale prices and divide them. This they did for a few weeks. The articles were bought at wholesale houses in Blackburn, and brought to Accrington by road in charge of George Whittaker, who was a carrier. The pioneers were, up to that time, acting without a license ; they had to perform their business in secret, and the goods were not bought at retail prices from the embryo society, but were simply divided one among another. As Mr. James Parkinson says in the previous chapter, each one who joined the society paid one shilling per week towards share capital. The first money raised for the purchase of goods came from an entrance fee of is. each, whilst Robert Greenwood put down a sovereign, on the first occasion that the weavers met ; sixteen shillings were contributed by others, whilst each subscribed one halfpenny for candles. The statement that the co-operative method was adopted before i860 is supported by a few notes that have been compiled by the late Mr. James Fletcher, who was at one time president of the society. He says that it was in the middle of 1859 ^^^^ ^ ^^^ working men weie inspired with the idea of starting a society on the Rochdale plan. Prominent amongst these men, he says, were James Clough, George Whittaker, WilUam Riley, 22 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. Henry Barnes, James Wolstenholme, Nicholas Haworth, Fairbank Sutclifie, Henry Whittaker, Robert Shuttle- worth, James Foden, Robert Greenwood, Richard Grimshaw ; to these may be added the names of Henry Parkinson, James Varley, Henry Riding, John Rushton, and John Minns. He also asserts that they first made a simple division of the articles they bought in Briggs' Entry, and next at the house of George Whittaker, gg. Abbey Street. This, however, was all on a very small scale, and subsequently they seemed to have formed themselves into a sort of imregistered society, and engaged, for the sale of goods, the front-room of the house tenanted by James Wolstenholme, now numbered 34, Plantation Street, off Abbey Street. For many years Wolstenholme was a member of the board cf the society. From this room the goods were distributed in the evening two or three times a week. The wholesale purchases were still made at Blackburn. There were about thirty or forty persons then taking advantage of this communal system of buying and dividing. Robert Shuttleworth appears to have been the first buyer — before the actual or legal formation of the society. He went to Blackburn, selected the articles, and left them to be called for by George Whittaker, the carrier. Robert Cooper acted as shopman at nights, and three members of the committee assisted him in turn. For the rest of the early history of the society, we must depend upon an old minute book which has been preserved. Unforttmately, it refers almost whoUy to the ordering of commodities. The first date on it is that of March 6th, i860, containing a record of a meeting in the " Committee Room, Briggs' Court." Prior to this date there is a list of the names of the " Committee of the Co-operative Store, Accrington," as follows : — Trustees — Enoch Crawshaw, Haworth Aspden, Robert Shuttleworth ; Committee— James Haworth, James Clough, George Sharpies, Richard Grimshaw, James Wolstenholme, John Birtwell (chairman), Thomas Riding (secretary), John Minns (treasurer) ; Arbitra- CO-OPERATION IN ACCKINGTON. 23 tors — Henry Parkinson (Pitt Street), John Hindle (Nuttall Street), John Wood (Mount Pleasant Terrace), Joseph Riding. At the assembly on March 6th, it was moved. That we form a Co-operative Store in Accrington for supplying all kinds of weaving and eating. There is a charm about the simplicity of this resolu- tion. But you can perceive what these men had in their minds. " Weaving and eating." At once, they struck the note of production and distribution, and no doubt embodied a conception of a fresh economic basis of local society in which they were no longer to be ex- ploited of their labour, or the means of the exchange of the necessaries of life. It is a pity that we have not been able to carry out this fundamental principle to a greater extent than has been done during the past fifty years. Indeed, at this time, a glance at the opera- tions of other I^ancashire societies then in existence indicates that there was a zealous desire to transform the cotton factory system into co-operative ownership. Our pioneers appeared, perhaps through lack of edu- cation, to be simple, and rather crude as administrators, but doubtlessly they had a keenness of perception which enabled them to see a long way ahead ; they had a good idea, too, as to what was eseential in order to revolutionise society on the basis of democratic ownership. " Weaving and eating ! " How simple and, may be, amusing to our more scholarly methods of recording our social and business resolutions ; but they realised, evidently, what they were about — ^realised in a way that thousands of co-operators do not to-day. The second motion is quaint, incomplete, and con- vincing. It reads, " That we any person may from one to twenty shares." Incomplete as it is, we know what it means. The third motion was : " That the amount per share be £i." " 4th, that we have a capital of £200 to commence with." From the experiments they had previously carried out, largely in s "All ready ? " cried the captatn. " Ay, ay ! " the seamen said. CHAPTER III. Opening of the First Shop — Cautious Investments — The Pioneers' Orthogfraphy — Increasing Business — Resolu- tion to Purchase Premises in Oak Street — First Balance Sheet. FIRST APPEARANCE IN PUBLIC. TT I/THOUGH much had taken place in the initial / 1 stages of the formation of the society up to the 1 L closing of the last chapter, it was not enrolled tmder the Industrial and Provident Societies Act, 1852, till July 23rd, i860. It is from that date the society commences with a locus standi in law. It seems clear, however, that this had taken place before the opening of the first shop. It would appear to have been taken for granted that the first actual store — ^in Birch Street — ^was opened in July. But if we are to depend on the original minute book this is an error. The bare entries indicate that the committee had decided, in June, to take the premises. On Jtme i8th, Thomas Riding, Robert Shuttleworth, and Haworth Aspden, were instructed to " look after the fixtures in the shop." On July 28th an entry occurs to the effect " that the closing of the shop be left to the cormnittee for the present." On August 6th, it was agreed " that a list of members be prepared to be hung in the place of business." Two days aiterwards, the committee again met, and among the transactions is the following : — " That John Birtwell cleans the shop and house all through, the society finding soap, and that he receives £1 for his labour." Then at the meeting on August 13th, the first minute reads : — " Resolved, that we remove to the new shop on Tuesday, August 14th, i860." No doubt this is correct, as from that date, numerous Oak Street, — Entrance to Generai, Offices, Check Room, AND IvIBRARY. CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 29 orders for goods were sanctioned at each committee meeting. This shop was closed in January, 1861, when the business was transferred to Oak Street, from which it has spread to all parts of the town and district. The place in Birch Street was not a shop in the ordinary sense of the term ; it was a plain, stone-fronted dwelUng-house, which has since been pulled down. In all probability, it stood next door to the present house at No. 5 in Birch Street, being on the side of it nearer to Blackburn Road. The centre of the town was much different in appearance then than now. I^abourers' and weavers' cottages existed where shops and com- mercial and public institutions have been constructed. The present building of the Town Hall was known as Peel's Institute, whilst the Market Hall was not erected for some years after ; it was opened on Saturday, October 23rd, 1869. But the humbleness of the commencement in Birch Street did not lessen the pride and affection with which the pioneers entered their task. Behind it all were visions of higher and greater things to come. They had sometimes been a little bashful about their attempts to inaugurate what they had in their minds — a real co-operative commonwealth. Their vision was large enough and noble enough. They were crippled by material requirements. They had to lay out their money for capital as if they were laying out their life's- blood. Only men whose experiences had been bitter, whose zeal was unimpeachable, whose foresight was clear, and whose determination was unshakeable, could have overcome the obstacles, the sneers, the carping criticism, and the suspicion which met them almost at every turn. But we Uve to-day to glorify their achieve- ments in small things, and their simple conceptions of the greater things that were to foUow. In all probability, we should be enriched in human worth and more definite in democratic endeavour, if we had more of their tjrpe amongst us. No doubt, the first store in Birch Street was crude and lacked all those embellishments which make our shops of to-day a wonder to those who are 30 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. not yet with us. But the pioneers had to be cautious. Their capital was merely the accumulation of hard-earned savings, perhaps at the sacrifice of absolute necessities of hfe. It was not even an easy task fpr them to decide whether the store should be lighted by gas, and a long discussion preceded the resolve to purchase a truck. And to what extent can you now measure their impoverish- ment when on August 13th, i860, Haworth Aspden was instructed to buy a table — " a second-hand one if possible ! " lyabour, and the new light that had come to them, were the main quaUfications upon which they had to depend. By the middle of August it was evident that with the opening of the shop in Birch Street (business commenced at 7-30 a.m.) there came greater interest in the objects and operations of the society. Customers and members multiplied. The committee became busier and busier, and they had many things to settle at each gathering. There was a familiarity which marks the simplicity of the beginning. For example, there is an entry dated August 28th : " That Wolstenholme be engaged at £1 IS. 6d., and that he do set about his work at once." It is not stated in what capacity he was to be engaged. The committee met again the night after, and decided to get " metellic cheucfs " (metallic checks, no doubt). By September loth difficulties through lack of capital were creeping into the camp. At any rate, the following significant items were resolved upon : — That we borrow £50 from the Widow and Orphan Fund. That we borrow £50 from Isaac Hindle. That no prices of goods be told outside of the committee- room. That Ro. Shuttleworth do make shutters. At the same assembling of the committee, Haworth Aspden and John Rushton were appointed butter tasters, and John Rushton and John Birtwell were to be the stocktakers. There is a purpose here in pointing out the orthographical errors which the pioneers made whenever they put pen or pencil to paper. It shows that illiterate CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 3I men are not necessarily unprogressive men. It indicates that as much as we piize the accomplishment of rudi- mentary features in education, the human factor is, after all, of considerable importance. The pioneers, perhaps, had never had the time to learn how to spell correctly. But they had been forced to think ; forced by hard and irritating circumstances. Although they wrote such words as " serrup " at one time and " sirrup " at another, but never " syrup," they were in a way edu- cated men ; that is, their minds had been " drawn out " to think and act for themselves, even to the extent of endeavouring to create social and industrial revolution by erecting new institutions. That is more important in history than even correct spelling. If they did write " sossiges," " pottatos," " presurves," and " traycle," there was no doubt about the will to make genuine progress. Expansion had soon become essential. On November 19th, John Rushton, James Haworth, William Kenyon, and John Birtwell were asked to go to examine the house in Oak Street, which afterwards became the nucleus of the society's headquarters. At a committee meeting held on Boxing Day of this year (i860), James Hughes was " engaged to take the shop in Church, and we engage him for twelve months ; and if any ilegal appese (probably offence) can be proved against him he is willing to be discharged immediately." It is surprising what an amount of work the committee must have done, from August 14th, when the Birch Street shop was opened, to the end of September of the same year. If not by education, as popularly spoken of, they had at least by their native wit, mastered a business that was getting more complicated day after day. They had not only understanding, but courage in their purpose. They who had been meeting only a few months before by candle Ught in the stable-like rooms in a yard, and dividing goods with more or less secrecy, were now entering enterprises which, at that time, were topics of the town. Private tradesmen smiled, and waited for the " crash " — ^which never came — especially when only three months after the entrance to the house and shop 32 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. in Birch Street a special meeting was called. This was on November 27th, whereat " It was resolved that the property in Oak Street be purchased, which belongs to Mrs. Scholes. Proposed by Richard Hoyle and seconded by John Rushton, and carried mianimously." This spirit of enterprise was well maintained, and a few years afterwards the Accrington and Church Industrial Co-operative Society limited was referred to in a co- operative publication as one of the most remarkably successful societies in the movement. The first balance sheet that was printed was for the quarter ending September i6th, i860. The society had not been enrolled two months when this was made up. It contained a balance of £88 13s. iijd. from the previous quarter's end. In fact, there was a balance sheet for quarter ending in Jime. This covered the first quarter's operations of the society, presuming it to have started on March 6th, i860, as recorded in the minutes of the committee when they met in Briggs' Entry. This, of course, is more than five months before the date of registration. In an account of the progress, written by Mr. William Ashworth (for many years general secretary) in 1895, the figures of the balance sheet for the quarter ending Jtme, i860, are tabulated. It gave the number of members as eighty-one; share capital, £106 3s. ; goods, £110 8s. gjd. ; receipts, £99 15s. o^d. ; profits, £4 7s. o^. ; distributed in dividend at the rate of sixpence in the pound, £2 3s. 6d. ; interest on capital, 3s. 7d. There was a balance of £1 19s. iijd., which, it is worthy to note, was applied to charitable purposes. Mr. Ashworth speaks of this balance sheet having been printed, but there appears to be no trace of it. The more reasonable assumption is that it was never printed. At any rate, the one reproduced in these pages may be regarded as the first authentic balance sheet, for the one which followed it (for quarter ending December 15th, i860) is described as " the second quarterly report." The development from June to September must have taxed the mental and physical energy of these workmen more than could ) AR.PTMOMflS. ( { A\R J Pc-llJIsmbOM. (^ Oi.D Workers or the Society. CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 33 have been expected. For instance, whilst they had paid only £iio 8s. gjd. for goods in the previous quarter they expended over £799 in the second three months. The serving in the shop was mainly done at night, by Peter Thomas, no doubt with the aid of members of the committee told off for the purpose. The reward was the joy of progress ; at any rate only £7 2S. 4d. was paid for shopmen's wages. The first day shopman appointed was Robert Cooper, in November, i860 ; he became the secretary of the society in May of 1861 (following Thomas Riding). For eighteen years the post was maintained by him with admirable patience and ability. Subsequent to leaving the society's service he became the nuisance inspector in Accrington. The accounts, however, were passed with acclamation at the quarterly meeting, held in the Bull Bridge Assembly Rooms, behind the Bull Bridge Hotel, where not only the first quarterly meeting of the society was held, but where a discussion class was conducted in a way that helped the advancement of a progressive force like that of co-operation. To honour those worthy of honour . This is the greatest blessing. CHAPTER IV. EARLY OFFICIALS AND COMMITTEEMEN. UP to this time the society had been gradually making its way towards permanency. Un- fortunately, for historical purposes, we begin reviewing its growth with only a few recorded statements to help us. From the end of i860, the original minute-book of the committee makes note only of orders for the shops. The probability is that a sense of security was not felt till the middle of 1861. Prior to that time there had been much change among officers. The names of persons appointed for trustees and committee on July ist, 1861, were : Trustees : Enoch Crawshaw, Haworth Aspden, and Robert Shuttleworth. Com- mittee : Henry Barnes (chairman), George Sharpies, Richard Grimshaw, James Foden, and Robert Halliwell. Secretary : Robert Cooper. Treasurer : John Minns. These served only for the quarter. For the ne3± three months the name? were : Henry Barnes (chairman), James Wolstenholme, George Sharpies, Richard Grim- shaw, James Foden, Robert Halliwell. These names were entered on the balance sheet ending December i6th, 1861, this being the first time that such a course had been adopted ; the attendances were also recorded on the balance sheet. At the commencement of 1862, the trustees were re-appointed, whilst Henry Barnes was continued as chairman. The committee were : Robert Halliwell, James Foden, Thomas Clegg, Joseph Blackledge, and Mark Hodgson. There was another change in July (1862), when the following names were CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. 35 entered as members of the committee : James Foden (chairman), Mark Hodgson, Joseph Blackledge, John Rushton, James Wolstenholme, and John Duxbury. In January, 1863, we get the following names : — Henry Barnes (chairman), Robert Shuttleworth, Jonas Turner, Thomas Hargreaves, John Tomliuson, WilHam Boothman, John Rushton, James Wolstenholme, John Duxbury. It will be seen, therefore, that it had evidently been decided to increase the number from six to nine persons. Again there was a change at the end of the first quarter ; in April Jonas Turner was the chairman and Henry Barnes took his place on the committee, leaving the other names as they were. The spirit of change was continued, for at the commencement of the next quarter (July) Haworth Aspden was recorded president of the society. The July quarter was, no doubt, the commencement of the society's year. Those elected to the committee were — Henry Barnes, John Rushton, John Woods, John Wilkinson, Richard Crawshaw, Thomas Hargreaves, WiUiam Boothman, and Joseph Green. There was another change in October, when John Dixon and Christopher Boardman were substituted for Wm. Boothman and John Wilkinson. There was a change about in January, 1864. Henry Barnes was again in the presidential chair, and those on the committee were : — Haworth Aspden, James Clough, John Rushton, John Wood, John Dixon, John I^ivesey, Christopher Boardman, and John Nuttall. These kept office tUl October, when Thos. Hargreaves was president, and we find for the first time the name of John Iinit p.ml for (J.....'-^ 7i)!) fl 1- /„<:a«U rc-dM-A lor HoofL iivmi ' ■. WcHidrnsi-al- 1j^ Mfcil.c-iv 4.5* M<'UiWr.s ifW u. t( ,. Auiuiiur. Pun! !.).■ Kiv-ur'- UK 1 i :; „ Do. do. i'rom Xon-ihrmijejy- 1»5 )« ,i IJ '; - -"^li '|imi ;i'- Wu^'.'s 7 ■• 4 „ -Do. for UonmbutK.i;:' liW 15 1 :• Ji"i;l i.r ;■»[,! S,,..;. .t CoMiinn. .-rooM 1 H „ Da forMiilirmrvFeiv , L' 3 ,. Ki,. !!...-« iii<-i,nvaiiiall.c(iJm- M.n-la-i 1 1 ,", „ Bo. l^r K.?-'i-i,i-ai;..u r,'ci-yl;ih.utl..- 10 9' „ ^■^ ;-.<.' Lut-hm- V. XI n „ X>0, for Fine : (J 2 t ,- l":!' 'ri'^'e gJ' (lootlh. . I) H ij ,. G;!-. r..ii,i,m!.(ii. fildhJuip, 4 (i . „ Ck'aiiiiiv Olil nml Nrw -Slioi> i, 2 U '> ' ., Pi'iiitidg Ui.ii.1 IMI- , 1 III u I ',, Siijuivy K.'C[)u'-i ^ .'■ !■: S ' „ (.Vli ou Hand ,-. r;? 1 1 c v.. GENERAL STATEMENT. LUniUTTlHi. £ * ,1. ASfiETS. I'd Biiii.iire (]!]'■ lo Mi'Uibera as (lur Slian' Co/tk 'iVi !■: -S.; .. luijirest on Ihc .ijiii.t' 1 16' 1 „ .Ailonanciforlit-nl 2 ., Uo. f.ir Gns ana Waif.r 1 ., iViht loBKlnu'-fr 3(i I:! M By C.r.li .ill Hiii,i! WliX C '„ Stock .ri'd'utxli ii7') ](j ;; . .. ViJi;!.' '.f r'j>ruri>s .-ly i; :• PROFIT ACCOUNT., ,<"J\j muili-iiiloc iJly'J Ok Od.,.'ii; l^-.'Sfl. Lv iJni ill ii,.- LV:m-J •.y^ n s „ Vro&X. L'm.'imM.^ . Z I' --■,', „ F,u.HoS.;n-.-1:in .T. |;,vi:,.i,l;,i;i.;, 1 ij d" „ ?;ril :MTr.u-Ki.N !■=- p-r l!r-..M!!on Hi n H.iim,r.,. - f- JAMi:s CLOTTilM. j stukkt, .(ctRisiiWs THE SKCOND aUASTEELY RSPORT 111' Tin- IISDUSTEIAL CO-OPFHA 'LIVE HTOIIE. Thi' Committee Imvo givat pl.-avur,' in layiiij; tliis lieji n-t liciViiv llii'. JUcmiiers antl in congi-atulaiinii; ttirm ii[)oil, liie ['veM'iil jiiKiiiun iintl prisi^.^ets of tlis SoeieJy. Nluioe -.\tomber.^ a-.o i-.,}ii'st("l r^ brills i" tli^''"' ■^iimii Clu'ijiie^ m l-.u .■:. i n; '■■r L'ouuti oiien. ■lo LWli— Biilance 3c])U'inljer Quiirtcr Rcci-ivoil fur Wdotls „ Cfjntributtiiiirt from Muiiibiiiv EnLratico I'Vcs IiOaii Kulfs wl Si'iiill II ink •■■- ., Siiri)his from tbo iVii PiirlT „ OuoTub ., Per Miatalle , j, Accoiintdoo Lo i5oLii-r.y ;..., CASH ACCOUNT. CiJi l>iiM lor (looil. r.7 II ISlllI i.s 1 1 AS'.u 1 ri '"I"""" 75 'i ■2 13 10 I 10 b OHO 'J li Willi. Ir«» Ills Aa-litiun II. yi.^e.lSio.-l I>.",N3RAL EXPANSES. Scatioivrv Jii.oit ofslioji ijiisiimi wm;+ Es|)i'iiM'^ of Tn.'iwiircri& Sec. For I'uhlic Mooi .3170 1 iOi . 2.-. 3 i . ::l :! 4 7 » 19 10} 2S Its 6 PoLty (\i'li ° '.'.!' 3 liflf^ II IG 11 15 I'lli.l Ml 111,. B«llk.. t'oil H.iiid 7a 4 114 GENERAL STATEMENT. LIABILITIES .' Cliiiiiifl. a^ per ficdgor I'o .M , In'..."---': lor the iibiivo CI. ., 1.01111 Inli-resi lor liiG abnvo Loan lOU 5 2 7 75 18 8 „ BiiUiico to i'rofit 113 2 Oj £1240 4 4} A^SBTS. Ily Ciiuli IJiilancc „ (iiioiU in stoi-k „ Fixed .stork ., AdditioB to Fixed Sloek ,. Caah in the Uaak .» PROFIT ACCOUNT. £ ». d- Depreciation of Fixed Stoelt at 2) per , "-» B«i«n«i brought do«, . cent 1 12 9 I Dividend on £1689 Purcliaiie money at I Is.Sd. intliePouiid 105 11 3 Dndivided I'roEta 5 18 Sj ' f s. -1. .. 7.9 4 11) .. 601 G 10 .. SO H 2 .. 28 IS S . .. 300 £1240 4 4J ■ 113 £11S 2 6J J, lUKST. PRINTEB, ABBI;¥.ST11EE-T, ACCIUNGTON. £113 2 6| MIOHOLAS KAWOETH. 1 aOBEET OOOPEB. f Auditara CO-OPEKATION IN ACCRINGTON. 41 Mr. Rhodes eulogised the principle of co-operation, which he said would continue to extend. After having examined the accounts, he thought the board of manage- ment were to be very much complimented on having accomplished so much in calamitous times. He advo- cated greater union and a suppression of suspicious feelings. He looked to co-operation for the solution of many difficult problems with regard to capital and labour. It was at that time stated by the secretary of the society that since i860 they had paid £3,467 in dividend, which, of course, would be an inestimable blessing to himdreds of factory homes dviring the Cotton Famine. At the conclusion of 1863 the committee were able to say : " We owe no man anything except love and goodwill." What a fine, brotherly sentiment it was. It indicates what type of men were the founders of the society. Out of the hard times through which they had passed, they had been taught sympathy by adversity ; they were thankful, too, that the society had borne the period of distress with remarkable success. The prosperity was stronger than ever by the end of the following year. At the flEth annual tea meeting, held in Peel Institution, Mr. Swain Rhodes, who again presided, remarked that no private trader could show such a favourable balance sheet. Dr. W. S. Millar was also present, and he commented on the encouraging state of the society. He said they had begun by pur- chasing five pounds of tea and one box of soap, whilst their last order was £250 worth of tea, 5 tons of soap, and 23 tons of butter. Mr. Robert Cooper (the secre- tary) pointed out that they not only supplied wholesome food, but were not neglectful of the mental requirements of the members. They devoted to education ij per cent, of the profits. One of the latest additions to their property was a hall for lectures, and a reading-room, and a library stocked with newspapers and books suitable for working men. The growth of the various departments is shown in a •striking way by the comparative rapidity with which one estabUshment was added to another in the ten or 42 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. twelve years. The removal to the Oak Street premises, in January, 1861 (six months after the commencement of the society), began that spirit of enterprise which the society has maintained throughout its career. The committee had decided to purchase this property (now developed into the centrd premises), and the transfer deed from Jane Scholes and John Green is dated April 26th, 1862, when £i,ogi los. was paid for it. The first business carried on in Oak Street was in connection with grocery, tea, and provision goods. The buildings purchased consisted of an old shop and one or two cottages at the back. Towards the end of 1863 a large warehouse was erected, at a cost of £900, at the back of the Oak Street shop, to serve the purpose of storerooms. This consisted of a cellar and three rooms above. The top room was 18 yards wide, and 10 yards broad, and was used for the holding of the society's meetings. The corner stone of the building was laid at the beginning of 1864. It was a private function. Only a few members were present besides Mr. John Wilkinson (ex-counciUor), the con- tractor for masonry, and a member of the society. No demonstration of any kind was made to celebrate the event. A bottle, however, was quietly placed in the stone, containing a few metallic checks then in use by the members, a few coins of the realm, a balance sheet, a copy of the town's weekly newspaper, as well as a piece of paper bearing the names of the following officers of the society : President, Henry Barnes ; committee, Haworth Aspden, James Clough, John Rushton, John Wood, John Dixon, John Livesey, Christopher Board- man, and John Nuttall ; treasurer, John Minns ; secretary, Robert Cooper. Since then all these good men have been themselves buried. The first newsroom was opened on July 5th, 1864, the earliest grant for educational purposes having laeen made in thejprevious year ; it amounted to £17 13s. 2^d. (being|i J per cent, of the profits). The shop originally purchased was taken down in the summer of 1866, and • up-to-date premises were put on the site at a cost of CO-OPEKATION IN ACCRINGTON. 43 £1,000. The Oak Street boot and shoe department was commenced in July, 1867, and a butcher's shop was opened in Bank Street in November of that year. This was not the first entry into the butchery business. An experiment was made in January of 1861. The society at that time, however, failed to make it pay through the lack of slaughtering accommodation, and the trade was given up in July of 1862. They were more fortunate in the second attempt, and the business was referred to in the subsequent balance sheet as having given every satisfaction. Two years after they made this addition to their growing trade, still more valuable by erecting a well-equipped abattoir at the rear of Oak Street shop (in 1869), at a cost of about £200. Whilst these developments had proceeded in and about Oak Street, branches had been started in other parts of the town. The first shop was opened in Church in July, 1861. At that time a man who had done yeoman service for the movement, locally, was Henry Sharpies, who bore the sobriquet of " The Co-operative Re- cruiting Sergeant." It was a deserving title, and a deserving cause in which to enlist the people. All the main workers of the society were good and true and tried men. The first grant to the reserve fund was made on September i6th, 1862, amounting to £20 5s. ii|d. A new shop in Church was opened in June, 1863. It cost £660, and was devoted to the sale of grocery and provisions. The date may be seen cut in stone in front of the premises. By the year 1865, the committee had begtm to seek means of investing capital in other co-operative organisa- tions. The first venture of this character was in January, 1865, when £10 was taken out in shares in the Sowerby Bridge Flour Mill. In March of 1866, a branch shop was opened again in Birch Street. This was relinquished on July 8th, 1868, when the Ellison Street shop com- menced, having cost, along with two houses, £980. In the meantime (November, 1867) the Tinker Branch had been opened at 235, Union Road, Oswaldtwistle, next to the Fisherman's Arms. It is interesting to recall that 44 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. Mr. Blackledge (now assistant manager of the society) was indentured as an apprentice whilst employed in the first Tinker shop. A removal was made from this pioneer store in Tinker, soon aiter commencement, to Harvey Street, and the present premises were opened in July of 1870. A butcher's shop was added as well as a dog shop, a wooden cabin having been previously used for clogging. For several years prior to this, enterprise had been shown in various directions. In 1868 eight houpes were built in Scaitcliffe, at a cost of £1,760, and about the same time the society purchased a block of buildings in Bank Street for £1,200, the purchase in- cluding a shop in Abbey Street, in which the tailoring business was commenced on April 12th, 1869. At the quarterly meeting in July of 1868, it was decided to make arrangements for building on spare land at Church for drapery, boot and shoe, and butchery establishments. I^and was also taken for twenty-eight houses. At the previous quarterly meeting the members were asked to discuss the question of the disposal of surplus capital ; it was agreed at that assembly to take up 340 shares in the Co-operative Insurance Society. At that time there were 1,784 members. In 1869, the establishment at Church was extended at a cost of £785, and the business there was so arranged as to include departments for drapery, butchering, clogging, and boot and shoe making. A newsroom was also opened in these new premises. The operations of the society became so extensive and the members so scattered that more branch establishments became necessary. For the convenience of the members residing in the Burnley Road district a shop was erected in Dowry Street, together with four houses, the cost being £1,387. The branch at Oswaldtwistle became too small, and £680 was expended on a new shop at Tinker, while in the same year alterations were made in a branch in EUison Street, involving an outlay of another £480. Thus in two years (1869-70) nearly £5,000 was expended in enlarging establishments! in various parts of the CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. 45 district. Still the capital continued to increase, and twelve houses were built in Hope Street, costing £1,570. The object in showing enterprise in the building of cottages in 1869 was twofold : the committee wanted an outlet for capital, and they desired to do something to overcome the difficulty there was then to get cottage property. There was a lack of dwellings. Accrtngton was increasing rapidly, due largely to the development of the Globe Works, owned by the firm of Messrs. Howard and Bullough, textile machinists. Members, too, had a desire to live in their own houses. They urged the society to build and paid purchase deposits before the houses were erected. In 1869 also slaughter-houses were built in Bank Street. The committee invested £100 (in September) in the North of England Co-operative Wholesale Society, now the C.W.S. An incident occurred in 1868 which is rather significant of the power which the society had already attained in the district. On October 24th, a note ap- peared in T^e Co-operator, from Mr. John I^ord, to the effect that since the previous quarterly meeting of the society, the private grocers of the town had formed a " Defence and Protection Society." Six years before that they had been laughing at the attempt of the few Accrington working men to do their own retail trading. They were now fearing the in- fluence of the society. There was a General Election in progress at the time, and the candidates in the North- East Lancashire Division were Mr. Chamberlain Starkie (Conservative) and Mr. U. J. Kay-Shuttleworth (Lord Shuttleworth, Liberal). The new organisation of local grocers put themselves in touch with the candidates at once on the subject of income tax and co-operative societies. The purpose of the negotiations was to con- vince the candidates that it was a hardship upon trades- men, who were compelled to pay income tax, whilst a number of persons in the same town and the same street were not subject to this taxation. In repljnng, Mr. Chamberlain Starkie said, " I should, if returned to 46 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. Parliament, think it my duty to consider a measure — the one to be brought forward — to equalise the taxes upon tradesmen and co-operative stores." Ivord Shuttle- worth's response was not quite so comforting ; he enclosed with it a copy of the 12th and 13th Sections of the Act, and suggested that the operation of these was suflScient to remove the cause of the complaint urged by the grocers. This question, of course, is still a sore point with private traders in all parts of the country. They pressed it upon the attention of many of the candidates in the General Election of 1910. Whilst the trade of the society had gone up with re- markable regularity, the different committees had been making developments in other directions. General clubs were commenced in connection with drapery and clothing in 1865. These are now extended to the various departments. Social and educational functions had never lacked interest. William Ashworth (who became a notable citizen of Accrington) was, by the way, the first keeper of the newsroom (opened, July, 1864). He was followed in this post by Matthias Hirst and John M'Keman. Mr. Ashworth, naturally, had much to do with the opening of the circulating Ubrary in January of 1866, as well as the commencement of the newsroom at Church in April, 1867, and the library added soon afterwards. He was also largely instrumental in be- ginning the evening elementary classes in 1869. Of these Mr. Entwistle Barnes was the first teacher ; he was succeeded by Mr. Holmes Greenwood. Particular reference, however, will be made to the excellent educational work elsewhere in this volume. At the close of the first ten years of the society, its position was exceedingly strong, and its progress had been admired by co-operators in different parts of the country. The pioneers, who had remained with the organisation, were the most astonished with the growth, as all the initial difficulties (the cautious and humble proposals) were still fresh in their minds. Local co-operation had become a force, socially and commercially, with signs that it was to become a greater and greater power as time went CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 47 No. of Share Beceived Profits Edaca- Jlembers. Capital. for Gooda. Bealised. DiTideud. tiou. i {. i i i ■ 263 . ■ 1,044 • . 2,508 . . 161 . 141 . — . 488 ■ . 2,633 • . 12,193 . . 9" ■ 760 — • 713 • • 3,427 • ■ 15,483 • • 1,357 • I.137 • — • 1. 143 • • 5,457 • 20,923 ■ 2,152 . 1,828 • 17 ■ 1,489 ■ . 6,210 . 28,698 . 2,998 . 2,520 • 50 • I.4S2 . • 7,467 • 32,495 . 3,404 • 2,886 • 52 • 1.552 . • 9,334 ■ . 40,204 . . 3,960 . 3.330 . ■ 52 . 1,643 ■ . 12,668 ■ 50.798 • 5,157 • 4,325 . 84 . 1,986 . ■ 17,551 . 70,220 • 7,725 • 6,658 . 105 . 2,097 • . 22,056 • 76.199 . 8,107 • 6.755 • "7 • 2,355 • . 26,639 . 84,843 . 9,303 . 7,629 . 122 on. Faith and trust were imposed in the leaders. The undoubted success which had followed the early efforts of the poor weavers with their candle-lighted meetings, may be seen from a perusal of the following figures in- dicating the first ten or eleven years' growth of business : Year, i860 . 1 861 . 1862 . 1863 . 1864 . 1865 . 1866 . 1867 . 1868 . 1869 . 1870 . There were many developments in 1870. Towards the close of the year, alterations had to be made in Ellison Street, where shops for butchery and clogging had to be constructed. Two dwelling houses were also built. The whole of the work cost i^^So. Trade was continually going up. Members were increasing. Share capital was being added to week after week. Sur- plus capital was mostly banked at the rate of 2 J per cent. This, of course, was not a profitable investment. The committee began to look out for more remunera- tive channels. And they decided to put up an additional twelve houses in Hope Street, Scaitcliffe, at a cost of £1,570. Indeed, the first ten years (taking in the whole of 1870) had broi^ht about developments altogether beyond the calculations of the pioneers. One might enlarge very much upon the singularly successful growth of the organisation which had begun so obscurely in i860. But let the bald facts and figures tell their own story. There were 2,355 members. There was an aimual turnover of £99,625. Nearly £1,000 was being paid in wages per quarter. Contrast that with the no-wages 48 CO-OPERATION IN ACCKINGTON. period at the commencement. And for the sake of measuring the splendid achievement of the working classes of Accrington, let us step for a moment three years beyond the year now under review. Although there were many societies that had been several years in existence prior to the enrolment of the Accrington and Church Society, in 1873 there were only thirteen societies out of 1,100 that had a greater membership. These, of course, were in the much more populated centres of Lancashire and Yorkshire. Some of the later success, at any rate, must be attributed to the efficient manage- ment of Mr. Thomas Hargreaves, who was appointed to the position in 1868, after having accomplished in- estimable work for the society in other capacities. We shall have to allude to this co-operative stalwart again ; for on his retirement in 1885 the members and officials paid a most sincere and enthusiastic tribute to his work. Mr. T. Lord, fonnerlj' member of the society and director of C.W.S. Mr. G. HavhursI, also member of the society, who, on the death of Mr. Lord, was elected to the C. W.S. board. Above our neighbours our conceptions are. — Wai,i,BR. CHAPTER VI. Second Tan Years' Qro>Mth — Increase in Population — The Thirteenth Annual Report — Records of Early Soirees — Large Expenditure in Property- SECOND DECADE. THE society commenced the second decade of its career under very encouraging circumstances. The first ten years had been a triumph beyond the dreams of the pioneers, who had had to depend upon their faith in the cause of the people rather than upon experience. Indeed, experience was outside the question altogether — ^they hadn't had any. They had fought by faith alone, with a great determination to succeed. It is impossible for us in these days of active democratic institutions to reahse their difficulties. But we know of their success owing to the solid results in many directions which they bequeathed to us. In 1871 the population of Accrington had increased by 23 • i per cent, over the figures of 1861. But what had been remarkable was that in the decade ending in 1861, the census showed an increase of 70*5 per cent, on the population of 185 1. This increment of people and houses, which signifies, no doubt, an industrial re- awakening in Accrington, was ia every way favourable to co-operative progress. As already hinted, the society had become famous in the co-operative moveinent. In ten years the membership had increased from eighty-one to 2,355 at the end of 1870 ; share capital had increased from £106 in June, i860, to £26,639 i^ December of 1870. But with the beginning of 187 1 the prospects seem to get brighter from day to day. Take a few figures. The share capital was £26,639 a* ^^^ ^^^ o^ 1870, and £28,977 in March of 1871, and £32,556 at the end of the year. The sales, which amounted to £99,625 in 1870, 50 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. had risen to £122,218 in 1871. As these increases were higher in proportion to the addition in membership, they indicated greater confidence on the part of the people, and were probably signs of wealthier conditions among the working classes. The year 1871 was a busy one in many respects. A stirring lecture was given to the members by that earnest co-operator, Mr. Lloyd Jones, who put before them the contention that co-operation among working-men should not fall short of providing themselves with everything from a shoehorn to a house. The Rev. W. Mitchell, Unitarian minister, introduced Mr. Jones. To remove some misunderstandings which were being ■spread at the time, he explained that co-operation was not a system of gaining profit merely, but one fraught with innumerable blessings to the human family. Mr. Bancroft (president of the society) made a speech on behalf of the Co- operative News, which had been started that j'ear. Whilst hoping that great success would attend the paper, he expressed regret that more support had not been given to Mr. Henry Pitman, as editor of The Co-operator, which, as an organ of the movement, was superseded by the Co-operative News. At this time (September, 1871) the society was in a most satis- factory condition. There were five grocery branches, five for butchery, two for drapery, two for boots and shoes and clogs, and one for tailoring. The butchery business was then regarded as being the best of its kind in the town. But whilst the committee expressed pleasure with the forty-fifth quarterly report ending in September, they also criticised several items in the accounts. They could not see why £8,762 should be deposited in the Post Office Savings Bank, in preference to investment in co-operative institutions. They also hinted that they were not in agreement with there being £1,588 in the hands of the treasurer. They impressed upon the members the importance of starting a " dis- tributive expenses account," on the same principle as that adopted by the C.W.S., which had then been in existence only about seven years. The object of the CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 5I committee was to have separate accounts for " distri- butive " and " productive " operations. Active educational work was being carried on at this time. During the winter of 1871 there were sixty-four students attending classes. The subjects taught were arithmetic, reading, writing, dictation, geography, grammar, analysis, composition, history, algebra, &c. Classes in chemistry, physiology, and mathematics were added. The committee wrote in their report that " the classes bade fair to compete with any elementary classes in any part of the country." They were con- nected with the Lancashire and Cheshire Institute and the East Lancashire Union Institute. The annual soiree of 1871 was held on November 4th, in the Assembly Rooms of Peel Institute. There were over 1,000 persons present. At the evening meeting Dr. W. H. Pilkington, J. P., of Clajrton-le-Moors, was in the chair. The private traders of the locality had criticised his promise to attend a co-operative meeting. In many parts of the country tradesmen still express this prejudice against the efforts of the people to supply their own needs. But the doctor objected to this attempt to cripple his liberty of action, and he referred in the highest terms to the influence which co-operation had had on the character and habits of the working classes. To illustrate his contention, he told the story of a workman who complained that he was unable to save from his earnings, because he had too many children. The man had turned his attention to the advantages offered by building societies. But they were of no use to him. Eventually, Dr. Pilkington said to him : " Why don't you begin dealing with the co-operative stores in Oak Street ? " He followed the advice, and some time afterwards he buttonholed the doctor in the street and said : " Thanks, doctor, for tellin' me to goo to th' stores. I did as yo' towd me, an' I feel a new mon neaw, an' I've geet £50 in t' stores ! " The doctor complimented the committee on devoting ij per cent, of the profits to educational purposes. Concluding, he assured them that they were working on the right lines for the attain- 52 CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. ment of human happiness and a higher form of civiUsa- tion. Prior to the meeting, the doctor had referred, eulogistically, to the well-selected books in the society's library, consisting of 1,700 volumes. When the usual annual soiree was held on November i6th, 1872, a very special effort was made to inspire the residents of the town and district with the success of the society. In connection with the zealous gathering the thirteenth annual report was issued, as well as a care- fully compiled statistical abstract of the society's finances from the commencement in i860. The year had been marked with more than average prosperity, which, said the committee, " brings with it ample pleasure and satisfaction." As this was a period which the committee desired to distinguish as one of re- markable growth, the financial statement then issued might be reproduced here with special interest to every member of the society to-day. It was as follows : — ANNUAI, STATEMENT. i s. d. Receipts for Goods Sold, 1871-2 122,190 5 9J „ „ 1870-1 100,094 16 9 Giving an increase during the year of . . 22,095 9 oJ Profits, 1871-2 13.G74 10 2 1870-1 10,569 8 8 Making an increase of 3ii05 i 6 Disposal of Profits for 1871-2 : — Interest on Capital 1,675 2 4 Dividend Paid to Members 1 1,1 14 14 9 Depreciation of Fixed Stock and Property 463 9 6^ Devoted to Educational Fund 179 19 10 Carried to .Reserve Fund 223 5 loi Contribution to Blackburn Infirmary ... 500 Cooper's Memorial (Rochdale) S o o For " Co-operative News " 7 17 10 Total £13.674 10 2 President axp Officials of the Board of JIanagemunt. CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 53 Drawing attention to the statistics alluding to the whole of the operations of the society, the committee felt sure that the rapid progress would encourage and stimulate the members to increase their exertions for the extension of principles which had proved of such incalculable value to thousands of people in the district. In a little over ten years, the humble efforts of the weavers and block printers of the town had been the means of spreading among the people £66,743 in profit alone. On education, £884 had been spent. The committee also pointed out to the members : " You are in possession of commodious and comfortable news- rooms, well supplied with daily and weekly papers, reviews, periodicals, &c., &c., and have a carefully- selected library, comprising 2,300 volumes, embracing various sections of literature, science, and art. Your evening classes, in which instruction is given to about 140 pupils in elementary and scientific subjects, are in a flourishing state, and give promise of attaining high rank amongst similar institutions in the neighbourhood." Hence the committees were proud of their achievements. And no wonder. The members of the educational committee were Messrs. Walton Haworth, John M'Ker- nan, James Parkinson, Robert Whittle, Benjamin Whalley, Wm. Mitchell, Wm. Lord, Wm. Houlker, Robt. Duxbury, Wm. Mitchell, and Henry Sharpies. At this very prosperous period of the society, the com- mittee of management consisted of the following gentlemen : Messrs. James Hoyle (president), Robert Law, Robert Halliwell, James Wolstenholme, Joseph Hodgson, Wm. Entwistle, Edwin Bancroft, Wm. Lord, James Fletcher, John Lord, and John Wood. The annual demonstration, at which the above report was submitted to the members, was a huge success. It was attended by 1,500 men, women, and children, and was held on November i6th. In reporting the event, the Co-operative News alluded to the society as " this society famous for its intellectual attainments," whilst a local paper described the gathering as the elite of the working classes. As a matter of fact, the rapid progress 54 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. had brought the society among the front-rank co-opera- tive organisations in the country. At an evening demon- stration that took place in Peel Institute, the chair was occupied by Mr. W. W. Simpson, a large colliery pro- prietor, who had always evinced considerable interest in working class movements. Amusement was created during the proceedings by a member, who not knowing the chairman's business, introduced the subject of co-operative ownership of coalmines ; he was " going " for private capitalists in the coal trade, when the laughter at the meeting put an end to his argument. But no doubt he was very sincere in the proposition he was seeking an opportunity to ventilate. It is surprising how zealous the working men co-operators were in those dajrs about the possibilities in productive schemes. At the same meeting, for instance, Mr. Nuttall (Manchester) commented on the high percentages being made in the cotton industry ; he said he hoped that in future co- operators would have their own cotton mills, coal mines, and iron foxmdries. We certainly have not made as much progress in these kinds of undertakings as the men and women of forty or fifty years ago anticipated that we should. In speaking of democratic ownership, Mr. Nuttall pointed out that if Accrington co-operators had then owned their own pits, they could have saved for themselves 8s. per ton that was going into the pockets of the private capitalists. A notable event in 1872 was the holding of a con- ference at Accrington of the Rossendale and district co-operative societies. This took place on November 23rd. Mr. James Hoyle (president, Accrington Society) presided. The question of bonus to labour was discussed, and it was resolved : " That this meeting earnestly recommends co-operative societies to take into considera- tion the advisability of paying a bonus to labour." The conference dealt with the need of establishing a corn mill in Rossendale valley, to meet the requirements of the societies in the district. There were then twenty societies within a radius of ten miles of Accrington ; they had 20,000 members, with a share capital of CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 55 £200,000 and an annual trade of £600,000. It was estimated that about £150,000 was yearly expended in flour and articles associated with corn-milling. A few of the delegates predicted that the scheme would be a failure. But an Accringtonian hit the nail on the head when he suggested that they should " get into the business at once, and not be content with mere preaching." That was quite typical of the spirit that had made the Accrington Society such an admirable success as it was then regarded by the whole of the movement. The conference resolved that there was ample justification to start a mill. Afterwards, circulars were sent round to all societies in the district in support of the proposal. Another subject that was debated was " Direct Taxation : How it Affects Co-operators and Co-operative Societies." Owing to lack of time, a resolution referring to means of spreading the Co- operative News was adjourned till the next conference. The great increases in membership, capital, and profits in 1871-2 had enabled the society to extend its beneficent influence, in the way of additional property and investments in co-operative schemes. In January, 1871, a grocery and clogging branch was opened in Dowry Street ; on October 9th the clogging business was commenced in Elhson Street. In November, 1871, the sum of £5 was invested with the Co-operative News- paper Society, and £30 in September of 1872. From January, 1871, to December, 1872, expenditure on the society's own property amounted to £3,033 i8s. gd. ; £105 I2S. 3d. was loaned and invested with the North of England Co-operative Wholesale Society ; in the September balance sheet of 1872 appeared items showing a mortgage of £7,000 with the Accrington Cotton Spinning and Manufacturing Company, that £57 5s. iid. had been put in the North of England C.W.S. as loan capital, that £25 had been invested with the Hebden Bridge Co-operative Fustian Manufacturing Society ; whilst during the quarter ending in December, 1872, loan capital amounting to £3,293 14s. 7d. was forwarded to the C.W.S. Hence, in two years the total sum of 56 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. )fi3.55o IIS. 6d. was devoted to the erection and im- provement of shop and cottage property, and to loans and shares in co-operative productive schemes. Surely these tokens of success, so early in the history of the society must, we repeat, have been beyond the dreams of the pioneers ! The astonishing progress of the society in the first ten years of its existence may be indicated in various ways. Take, for instance, the gradually increasing expenditure on property built and acquired by the committee from time to time. The results may be seen below, showing the amount paid for property and in alterations of property in the quarter ending in the month named in the table : — 1862 : — June : Paid on property, ^£656. Total amount paid up to this date, ,£1,091 los. 6d. 1863: — March: Alterations, Oak Street property, £2$ l6s. Sd. For conveying same property, ;£24 los. od. June: Alteration, Oak Street shop, £2 7s. od. On account of new shop. Church, ;£n6 6s. lod. September : On account of Church shop, ;£292 13s. id. December : On account of new shop. Church, ^£172 7s. 4d. Alterations, Oak Street, premises £33 17s. 5fd. 1864: — March: Alterations, Oak Street, £185 13s. 3d. June : Oak Street alterations, ^£406 i6s. sd. New shop. Church, j[g iss. lod. September : Alterations, Oak Street, £326 4s. 7d. New shop. Church, £13 13s. gd. December: Oak Street shop, £1 13s. 6d. New shop. Church, £6 13s. i^d. 1865 : — March: New shop. Church, £6 14s. 66.. 1866 : — June : Alterations, Accrington, £$g 6s. 3d. September : Alterations, Accrington, ;£384 19s. sd. December: Alterations, Accrington, £208 17s. 3d. 1867: — March: Alterations, Accrington, £312 17s. gd. June : Accrington, Alterations, ^26 ss. 2|d. September : Additions to Oak Street, ;£i6. December : For new shop, ^£36. Oak Street premises, £35. 1868: — March: New shops and cottages, ;£2i4 19s. od. Oak Street property, £68 is. Church property, £46 2S. ijd. June : Ellison Street premises, ,£283 8s. gd. Oak-street, £39 4S. Church premises, £16 5s. "September: Bank Street property, ;£ 1,200. Ellison Street, £3Si9S. 6d- Scaitcliffe House property, £221 6s. 4d. Church shop, A2S 3S. id. December: Oak Street, £12 8s. 7d. Church premises. CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 57 i\7 9s. lid. Ellison Street, ^,t,^ 14s. 8d. Scaitcliffe, ^£297 los. 8id. 1869: — March: Oak Street, ;t2i 15s. i-Jd. Church, i\\ IS. 3d. EllisonStreet, £19 2.S. ScaitclifEe, ^465 15s. 4|d. June: Oak Street, £21 los. Bank Street, ^£58 os. 7d. BUison Street, ^45 17s. 6d. Church, £20 es. Scaitclifie, £460 43. 6d. New shops. Church, ^£9. September : Oak Street, ^£4 is. New slaughter-house (Oak Street), {ftd 2s. 6d. Bank Street (additions), £16 8s. 8d. Scaitcliffe, {,\'jfi us. sd. Church (new buildings), £185 i8s. gd. BUison Street, £12 los. December: Oak Street (additions), ;£2 us. New slaugh- ter-house, £107 6s. Bank Street property,- ^£30 i6s. 4d., Scaitclifie property, ;£8i 14s. 6d. Dowry Street property. i,i,io. Church (new buildings), ;£295 6s. 7d. 1870 :■ — March : New shops. Church, £201 7s. 3d. Scait- cUfie, £66 1 8s. Bank Street, £57 19s. ejd. Dowry Street, £S3 IDS. Oak Street, £5. June: Dowry Street, £262 os. id. Church, new shops, £94 6s. 3d. Tinker shop, £20 9s. id. Bank Street, £3 13s. Scaitclifie property, £7 2S. ElUson Street, £1 5s. 8d. September: Oak Street, £6 iss. id. Dowry Street, £433 IS. 8d. Tinker property, £191 2s. Bank Street, £20 14s. %\&. Scaitclifie, £38 3s. S^d. December: Ellison Street, £74 6s. Dowry Street, £412 i8s. Tinker property, £292 us. 8id. Bank Street, £1 9s. i^d. Oak Street, £73 8s. lod. Church property, £5 13s. i;d. The total sum spent in property, therefore, in the first ten years, was £ii,555 6s. 5d. in the December balance sheet this was valued in the assets at £10,992 3$. 2^d. Up to this date, ^^567 14s. 7jd. had been devoted to the educational ftmd. No wonder the society had already won a conspicuous place in the national co-operative movement. Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie. Which we ascribe to Heatien.— ShakespEake. CHAPTER VII. Good Management — Value of Co-operative Education — Business Developments — A Record Demonstration — Success of Co-operative Students — Congrratuiatory Speeches — Committee's Encouraging^ Reporti SECOND DECADE, Continued. THERE was marked progress in 1873. In June of that year it was estimated that the society's sales were equivalent to £46 per member. That was the highest average in the country, with the exception of the one in connection with the Oldham Industrial Society, which was about equal to that of Accrington and Church Society. The management of the society was alluded to as one of the very best in the move- ment. A special report of the various departments showed that the grocery stocks were turned over every three weeks, drapery every eleven weeks, clothing eight weeks, boot, shoes, and clogs every nine weeks. The committee' observed, "We venture to think that no other society surpasses this in good management." At that time there was a sum of ^14,723 deposited in the Post Ofl5ce Savings Bank. The committee suggested that the amount should be transferred to the Wholesale Society. Turning to educational matters, we find that the work was equally satisfactory. A special account was pub- lished of the Accrington and Church Co-operative British Evening School, which had been opened in October of 1869, with an attendance of forty pupils. Mr. E. Barnes was the teacher. He resigned in November, 1870, when Mr. Holmes Greenwood was appointed. In March, 1871, there was an examination at which twenty- four pupils presented themselves. The subjects were arithmetic, geography, English, and Gospel history. A CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 59 prize of £i was offered by the Union of Lancashire and Cheshire Institutes, whilst the Rev. Canon Birch gave an extra prize of £i for the most successful work in Gospel history. Other prizes amounting to £3 were provided by the teacher and the committee of the educational department. It was in 1871, too, that the classes were afiSliated to the East Lancashire Union of Institutes. In October, 1871, the teachers were Mr. John Grimshaw (certificated master) and Mr. Holmes Greenwood. There were then seventy-two pupils in attendance. The educational committee were great admirers of the Co-operative News, which was first issued on September 2nd, 1871. Constant appeals had been made on behalf of the new weekly, and when it became a question as to whether the control of this organ should be invested in the hands of the Central Co-operative Board or a separate Newspaper Board, the committee of the Accrington and Church Society voted strongly for independent management of the paper. It was a wise attitude, and one which is just as essential to-day. Their loyalty to the News was shown again in the summer of 1873, when they ordered 2,720 copies of one week's issue to be distributed among the 3,048 members. " Organise and educate," was the motto of the various committees of the society. To-day, we are reaping the benefit. In fact, in summing up the influences for good which have been exercised upon the working classes, few writers, if any at all, have fully recognised the value of the activities and enthusiasm of co-operative educational committees. The opportunities of education in those days to the man at the spindle, or the loom, or the bench, or the desk were very limited. Practically, the Education Acts of 1870 and 1872 had had little or no effect. And the work of the co-operative educational committees in the early seventies, and even before elementary education had become compulsory, was a feature which we, in our days of great educational facilities, can hardly fully appreciate. But the results of the work have been excellent — they have been a boon to democracy. How many men and women — even 6o CO-OPERATION IN ACCEIN6TON. members of Parliament — can trace the beginning of their steps to success, to the opportunities of education provided by the old educational committees of our co-operative societies ? And it was not to be wondered at : they were men themselves who had known and realised the need of it. We are very much indebted to them. The work was not confined to classes and lectures by any means. At the end of 1873 the newsrooms and reference library of the Accrington and Church Society were very well attended. The central newsroom, in Oak Street, for instance, was then supplied with twelve daily papers, fifty weekly publications, and twenty monthly periodicals. These included some of the best and highest-priced reviews, which must have been of great service indeed to many ill-paid working men and women, to many well-meaning youths. There was an average attendance of sixty persons per night. There were 120 volumes in the reference library, extensively ' used. The circulating library in Oak Street had 1,500 volumes, and the library at Church, 700. The com- mittee then provided the most useful educational establishment in the town. The newsroom in Oak Street had been opened since July 1st, 1864 ; one at Church since April, 1867 ; one at Tinker, Oswaldtwistle, since October ist, 1871. There was another opened in Brown Street, on New Year's Day, 1876, and the Baxenden branch began a newsroom on October ist, 1877. In the next ten years, four others were opened as follows : — Nuttall Street, March 15th, 1882 ; Autley, October ist, 1883 ; Water Street, January, 1887 ; Huncoat, March, 1887. In business matters, of course, development was always under consideration. At the June (1873) meeting of the members, the committee were empowered to prepare plans for the erection of two branch shops — one for the district of Woodnook I^ane, and the other for Scaitcliffe, where large sxmis of money had been spent on cottage property. The desire of the committee to open a new shop at Church for tailoring was also granted. Another £3,000 was invested in the Accrington ]AR.fiLLI3CLEGG 'vj^ 'A1rJnoM{1rgreci\?es.\ (^ — __. ^ Members of Board of Management. (Coun. A. T. Towiisend, J. P.. siuce resigaed.) CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. 6l Cotton Spinning and Manufacturing Company, making £10,000 in all, which had been put in this concern since the middle of 1872. Loan capital amounting to £225 was invested with the Eccles and Patricroft Manufac- turing Company Ltd. The year 1874 was a very busy one. On January 5th, the committee resolved to buy George Stephenson's shop at 73, Abbey Street, for £876. They wanted these premises in which to commence the furniture business. They took up cabinet making in all its branches and employed a competent manager and workmen, and the place was opened about the middle of the year. In the September quarter, there was a turnover of £223 los. 6^d. Special appeals were made to members on behalf of this new productive and distributive de- partment, and it was announced that clubs would be formed as soon as convenient. The Albion Street cottage property scheme was commenced this year, the committee devoting £936 to it. Richmond Hill cottages were also erected, on which £352 was spent in the last quarter of the year. In the first quarter of the year, the Nuttall Street shop and the new tailoring branch at Church were opened ; £22 los. allocated to shares in the Co-operative Printing Society. What was an im- portant event in 1874 was the inauguration of the Penny Savings Bank on October 24th. Also in this month the re-opening of the evening classes was made all the more interesting by the addition of a well-equipped laboratory for the study of chemistry. The Savings Bank was very much appreciated, and in the first seven weeks the deposits realised £158 2s. iid. During the year, extensions had been made to the trades of tailoring, boot and shoe, clogging, and butchering. And, as if to crown the work of the year, the annual gathering on November 7th, was a record. The chief speaker at the evening demonstration in the Town Hall was Mr. A. J. Mundella, M.P. In its issue of November 14th, 1874, the Co-operative News contained a report of the proceedings to the extent of 4i columns. The News reporter wrote : "A casual 62 CO-OPERATION IN ACCiaNGTON. visitor to the rapidly thriving town of Accrington, on Saturday afternoon last, would doubtless have been struck with the large numbers of well-dressed and intelligent-looking people to be met with in the streets, the occasion being the annual soiree of the Accrington and Church Co-operative Industrial Society." And it was so. There were i,ioo persons partook of tea in the old Baptist Chapel. In the evening the Assembly Rooms at the Peel Institution were crowded to excess. There was an array of talent there. The chief address was to be delivered by Mr. A. J. Mundella, M.P. for Sheffield. On the platform was Mr. J. T. W. Mitchell, who became the distinguished chairman of the C.W.S., and whose memory is now honoured by the name of the Mitchell Memorial Hall, Manchester, in which there is an attractive bust of him wrought in Italian marble, by J. Cassidy, the Manchester sculptor. Mr. and Mrs. Bullough were also present, besides Messrs. Gatty (Rochdale), R. Allen (Oldham), Johnson, Hall, and Abraham Howard (Rochdale), Fletcher, Bancroft, Hoyle, Lord, R. Cooper, and others. On rising to speak, Mr. Mundella was greeted with prolonged cheering. He remarked that he had never taken the chair on any occasion with greater pleasure. He was astounded and delighted at the work that had been done by the co-operators of that town, and it was well that their example should be held up for the en- couragement of others. The work had been well done by a body of working men ; they had provided the capital, the labour, and the brain?. In alluding to the beneficent influence of co-operation, Mr. Mundella referred to the cheerful faces, good looks, and fine dresses of the audience. Paying an extended compli- ment to the way that working men were entering into the business affairs of the nation through co-operation, he said he had been shown a mysterious room in the co-operative premises that afternoon. He had been told that it was the " safety valve " or the conversation room for the airing of grievances. He brieflj' traced the various labours of the society, dwelling warmly on CO-OPERATION IN ACCiaNGTON. 63 its educational work and its newsroom, then attended by an average of 200 persons a day. Next he com- plimented the members on economical management. His speech was also largely devoted to the position and progress of British industry, in which the I^ancashire cotton trade held an important place. Mr. Mitchell spoke. His reported words are as important to-day as they were in 1874 — thirty-six years ago ! Let us preserve them in this history. He said that He had been looking at the statement to which the Chairman had directed their attention, and he found that during the last fifteen years, they had created a profit exceeding ;£:oo,ooo. That was a sum which he believed would employ 500 of their members, if it had remained in the society and been judiciously invested ; and the members might have been thus receiving amongst them- selves the profits of their own industry. He was anxious that the lever which the working classes now had in their hands should be employed, not to make other men rich, whilst they (the workers) labour and toil and sweat for a bare existence, but to secure for them a perpetual re- demption from all acts of slavery and tyranny of the worst kind. Capital was not the enemy of the working man : it was his best friend. He wished them to use it for their own elevation and the good of their children. He asked why should not they conduct productive societies as well as distributive, and thus secure to themselves the profits made in those manufacturing concerns. There was no reason why twenty years hence Accrington should not be one gigantic productive concern, and that the profits should be divided amongst the whole inhabitants of the town. If they did this they would not only be bringing about that time when capital and labour should be united in one bond, but he believed that investments of that kind were the most effectual means whereby Great Britain would be able to compete with other industries and enter- prises of the world. Mr. Mitchell's vision about the profits of industry being divided among all the inhabitants has, of course, not yet been realised in Accrington — or elsewhere. But to what extent are we moving towards the solution of this great co-operative problem ? The question is worthy of our gravest consideration. 64 CO-OPERATION IN ACCKINGTON. Throughout the year (1874) the society had expended £6,414 17s. z^d. mainly on cottage property at Church, Albion Street, Woodnook, Wellington Street, and Richmond Street. Up to this period, £2,388 had been invested in ScaitclifEe property ; £528 in Wellington Street cottages ; other cottages accounts were : Albion Street, £970 8s. lod. ; Richmond Street, £325 4s. ; Church, £284 I2S. Shares and loans in other concerns were valued at nearly £20,000. It was in 1874 that the committee issued the first almanac of the society. It was got up in pamphlet form, and contained a mass of useful information. It opened with the following felicitous words : — The Committee of Management in introducing this, their first ahnanac, desire to state, in presenting one (gratis) to each and every member, their sole object is to furnish them with one of their own, with a view of laying before them necessary information not obtainable in other al- manacs, thinking that a medium that will be useful to every householder, whatever their position may be ; and in doing so the Committee flatter themselves they are supplying a want that will be appreciated by all, and likewise gives the opportunity of wishing the reader A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year. , In the first quarter of 1875, the new Penny Savings Bank was stated to be in a very prosperous condition, there being 987 depositors. In February of this year the millinery business was commenced at the Church branch, AUeytroyds. In October a branch shop for grocery was opened at Baxenden, purchased from Riley Ormerod, for £897. The cabinet and joinery worfe was opened in Birtwistle Street in November. In this year a shop was built in Brown Street in addition to cottages. The society took up £100 in Rhoden Mill shares (The Working Men's Mutual Employment Co.). That was in December ; three months later they in- vested another £100, and a similar amount in 1878, after which the affair collapsed. During 1875 there had been a little loss of interest in the boot and shoe and clogging trade, particularly in Ellison Street and Bank } AlRjR5nuTTLW0Rm \ SiKMEHRS OF Board of Management. CO-OPBRATION IN ACCRIN6TON. 65 Street. But a change in management resulted in an increase of business. There were in this year, as in the previous one, substantial investments in cottage property, wholly in connection with the schemes already mentioned. The total sum now laid out in cottage property was about £6,812. Again in 1875 the society was annotmced as one of the very most successfiil distributive organisations in Lancashire. To prevent overcrowding in the shops at night, a special notice was sent out on April 24 th, urging the members to do as much " shopping " as possible in the daytime. The educational grant was at the rate of £5 per week for the second quarter of the year. Sales were £42 per week more than in the previous thirteen weeks. Of the grocery and drapery trade, 70 per cent, was purchased from the Co-operative Wholesale Society. Many older societies were not so loyal as that ; many — too many — are not so loyal to-day. A successful annual soiree took place on Saturday, November 13th, 1875. Tea was served in Crawshaw's Public Hall, at which about 900 persons were present. A demonstration was afterwards held in the Peel Institu- tion Assembly Rooms. A very effective vocal and musical programme was provided by the Accrington Glee Union. Prizes were distributed to successful students at the science classes, by Mr. John Bullough (of Laund, Accrington). Mr. E. Higham, who presided, testified to his sympathy with the co-operative move- ment, which he said had had great influence in educating the working classes of Accrington in political and social economy. Commenting on the trading and educational achievement of the society, he observed that it was very creditable indeed to the directors — a body of working men — who had so successfully pioneered the great society in all its branches. At the time there were 2,000 volumes open to the members, in the libraries of the society ; and during the year £250 8s. 8d. had been allowed for educational purposes. In every way the accounts pointed to the huge success of the undertaking. The Penny Savings 66 CO-OPERATION IN ACCMNGTON. Bank, started twelve months before, had 1,049 depositors, and a fund of £560. The lessons of frugality which this had already instilled in the minds of children, and older members, were very marked. An analysis of the educational work of the society is similarly en- couraging. In the central library there were 1,820 volumes for circulation, and 140 for reference. In the Church library, there were 1,050 volimies, for which a printed catalogue was then in course of compilation. In Accrington, the circulation of the books for the year had been as follows : — History, 360 ; biographies, 430 ; poetry, 137 ; novels and tales, 4,759 ; voyages and travels, 409 ; science and art, 431 ; theology, 176 ; miscellaneous, 518 ; social and political philosophy, 92. A new reading-room was shortly to be opened in Richmond Street. Attending the classes were 150 students, quite as many as the rooms for this purpose would accommodate. The results of the examina- tions had been eminently satisfactory. One of the students, Thomas Whittaker, had been selected for the highest honour that the science and art departmefat of the Union of Lancashire and Cheshire Institutes could bestow, viz. : — ^A gold medal for acoustics, light, and heat (the highest prize for any one subject) ; a bronze medal for animal physiology, and a royal exhibition of £50 per annum, and free education for a term of three years at the Royal College of Science, Dublin. Mr. Whittaker also won a microscope, presented by Arm- strong Bros, (of Manchester), for success ia light and heat. These and other accomplishments by other students served to repay the educational committee for the time and money spent in organising and main- taining the classes. One of the speakers at the gathering was Mr. James Crabtree (of Heckmondwike). He was a working man who believed that amongst co-operators they might find more happy hearthstones than in any other circle of working men. Mr. John Bidlough expressed the opinion that the town itself ought to be congratulated on the successes obtained by the co-operative students. CO-OPERATION IN ACCSINGTON. 67 He believed also that the society deserved encourage- ment for having been the means of calling forth such talent among the students of Accrington. Success such as theirs, he said, " Is more than ' twice blessed,' and I am sure when success is borne modestly everyone who witnesses it feels a pleasure only secondary to the pleasure the recipient himself feels." Mr. Bullough, having handed out the prizes, Mr. J. C. Fam gave a useful address on " The Pleasures and Advantages of a Good Education." Altogether, it was a most en- couraging demonstration, happily spent. The soirees of 1876 and 1877 were also made useful and entertaining by notable speeches on education and working-class co-operation. In 1876 the principal speaker was Mr. Hibbert, M.P., Mr. Abel He3rwood, the well-known publisher and ex-mayor of Manchester, attended the annual gathering. An experiment was made this year. No tea-party was provided. The result was that the attendance was only half of what it was in former years. Hence, it was decided afterwards that tea should always precede speeches. However, with Mr. and Mrs. Heywood were Mr. and Mrs. John Bullough, Mr. R. Hargreaves (chairman, Accrington Local Board), and Dr. Clayton. Mr. Hejrwood was eulogistic in his compliments to the society for their educational work and charitable gifts ; also for the lessons of thrift which co-operation conveyed to the working classes, who, he observed, had just as much right to turn shopkeepers as had private tradesmen themselves. Progress was the note of every year. The year 1876 was an eventful period. In respect to shop and cottage property £2,103 was spent in the first three months. This sum included £771 14s. 8d. on Richmond Hill cottages, and £720 on Birtwistle Street shop. In the next quarter £6,414 i6s. 6d. was thus expended, including £4,400 for the new drapery and furniture shop at the top of Blackburn Road, bought of Messrs. Wilkinson Bros, in May ; £643 on the Richmond Hill estate ; £380 on Birtwistle Street shop. In May also a mortgage was taken with the Rishton Papermaking Company amount- 68 CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. ing to £i,ooo. Other mortgages accepted in regard to this concern were, £4,000 in August ; £6,000 in Feb- ruary ; £2,000 in May ; and £1,000 in August of 1877 — a total of £14,000 in a little over twelve months. The mill was sold to Mr. Philip C. Peebles (London), in February, 1879, ^or £13,750, on a deposit of £750. The final payment was made on March 29th the same year, the agreement being that the society should keep ten houses connected with the property, to balance the remaining £1,000 on the mortgage. Peebles' Mill is now one of the best-known paper-making concerns in the coimtry ; its productions are used in the leading newspapers in London and the provinces. In the second quarter of 1876 the society paid £2,247 into the loan account of the C.W.S. And so these investments in the society's own affairs and in outside co-operative ventures were continued throughout the year, the whole amounting to over £29,200. In conclud- 1 ing the year, the committee wrote : — At the close of another quarter, the last of an eventfnl year, marked at home bjr depressed trade, and abroad by complications which cast a shadow upon the prospectet; of those who, like us, must trade to live, it is gratifying ' to be able to say that your success has lost none of the ^^ recognised elements of its strength ; nay, it has done more than hold its own ; it has made progress, and will face the New Year with augmented members and increased resources, more capital and more commodious premises- for the transaction of its business. We would here draw your special attention to the drapery and millinery depart- ment, now located in the premises lately occupied by Wilkinson Brothers at the top of Blackburn Road, where ample provision has been made for carrying on the business in all its branches, and on a scale large enough to meet the requirements of our 4,274 members. The state of the trade of the country was depressing ij throughout 1878, the cotton industry particularly being dull and unprofitable. It was a bad year for the working classes. The effect of the Indian Famine was disastrous to Lancashire. Funds were being raised in all parts of the United Kingdom on behalf of the millions of victims suffering in our Eastern Dependency. The society CO-OPERATION IN ACCSINGTON. 69 passed through the year as quietly as possible. Only comparatively small sums of money were spent in property. £30 was contributed to the Indian Famine Fund. The coal business was commenced by the society in February, 1877. The newsroom at the Baxenden branch was opened on October ist. In September, the committee drew special attention to the fact that in the boot and shoe department, footwear could be supplied that had been manufactured by the C.W.S. at Leicester. Steps were taken to instil the spirit of co-operation into those who had not yet joined the society. In December the committee notified members that they were removing the new furniture sale-rooms in Abbey Street, next to the drapery establishment, where the display would be improved. Distribution should undo excess. And each man have enough. — Shakespeare. CHAPTER Vlll. Dark and Dismal Years — Strikes in the Cotton Trade — How Co-operation Helps the People- — A Stormy Meeting — Resignation of the Secretary— Proeress during: the Second Decade. END OF SECOND DECADE. THE three years of 1877-8-9 were dark and dismal for thousands of the working classes in Lan- cashire. Accrington and its surrotindings were particularly affected. Cotton mills were closed. There were periods of short time running of the factories. The employers were pressing for reductions of wages. The people suffering, and in some instances starving, were up in arms. Even rioting ensued. The trouble with regard to labour disputes began in Oldham and district, where the operatives had to submit to a 5 per cent, reduction in wages in 1877. Another reduction — ^this time of 10 per cent. — ^was enforced in 1878. Five per cent, was also taken off the wages in 1879. Hence, within two j'ear,- those in the American " coimts " spinning branch of the cotton industry had had to yield to reductions amounting to 20 per cent. It shoiild not be difficult to imagine the hardships which the people must have borne before they were whipped into sub- mission to that extent. One may get a glimpse of the state of the operatives at this time in and about Accring- ton. A strike among the weavers occiured in 1878. This ended in the wages of the operatives being reduced by 10 per cent. They had to yield to a demand for a further 5 per cent, reduction in 1879. In fact, as regards the number of persons affected, the most serious strike period was in the latter half of the 'seventies. CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 71 The first five years of this decade were favoured with considerable prosperity. But in about 1875 a serious "slump " set in, and strikes and lock-outs darkened the history of industry throughout the country. Apart from the notorious strike in North-East Lan- casHre which occurred in 1878, there was one at Oldham in the same year. There the cotton workers fought against a reduction of 5 per cent. They lost. The mills had been closed for a month — from November 25th to December 28th. In fact, their wages were dropped by 10 per cent, in that year. Similar disturbances took place in Bolton. There wages fell to the extent of 15 per cent, in 1876 and 1877. There was a spinners' strike at Blackburn in 1879. Prior to 1876 over 80,000 men, women, and children were locked out in North and North-East I^ancashire because they could not agree with the employers over the terms of the "List prices" which regulated their wages. But the more stirring scenes were confined to Black- burn. It was in connection with a strike throughout the North and North-East Ivancashire, which com- menced April i8th, 1878, and continued to June 17th, when the operatives had to submit to a 10 per cent, reduction in wages. There were over 120,000 persons thrown idle. Eventually, over 300,000 operatives were rendered workless. In Padiham, Colne, Nelson, Accring- ton, Burnley, and Preston the mills were closed ; there was practically no strike pay. The workers had to depend on public subscriptions. Food and house-firing were scarce. Trade imions were then not very well organised, and the strikers who paraded the streets in thousands were difficult to control — ^impossible at times. At Blackburn, in particular, the feeling between masters and men ran very high. It became more and more in- tense as the mills remained closed and as workmen heard their children crying for bread in vain. The workers were at last goaded into desperation by one thing or another. Bitterness developed. Mob-law eventually got the upper hand. Among the regrettabla things that took place was the burning of the house of 72 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. Colonel Jackson at Wilpshire. Two or three mills were destroyed by fire. Many people were injured, among these being a former trade miion secretary, who was blinded by a dose of corrosive fluid being thrown in his face. The scenes were disastrous alike to the trade and moral influence of the town. At least sixty-eight persons were tried for violence and outrage. The burning of Colonel Jackson's dwelling inspired a mob at Accring- ton with a destructive passion. They besieged the residence of a local manufacturer and shattered his windows. At Oswaldtwistle a master was similarly attacked. In his attempt to drive back his assailants — himgry and penniless weavers — he shot two lads. As Mr. George Howell — ^the veteran trade unionist and careful recorder of industrial history — says, " The cause of labour suffered more than the capitalists by the deplorable occurrences of that date. It was ever so, ever will be so ; if on no other higher grounds than ' policy ' such violence must be avoided." With the coming of 1880, prosperity returned. In Oldham and district, 5 per cent, of the 15 that had been lost, was restored. In 1881, the weavers of North and North-East I^ancashire secured an advance of 5 per cent., under the Blackburn and Uniform List of Prices. But the main losses in rates of pay were not regained till twenty-eight years after the bitter struggle of 1878. It was a memorable year. It is not for us here to dwell upon the causes or judge the results. People were short of wages, food, and fire. Poverty had increased to desperation. The effect upon the co-operative society in Accrington may be seen by a perusal of the balance sheets of that time. There were continual reductions in sales. But then, as now, co-operative societies did not suffer as much as one would presume in the circumstances. This has been one of the most remarkable features of co-operation. Sales in actual necessaries of life — ^food mainly — ^were little affected. The decline was principally in the clothing, millinery, and furnishing departments. Working-class women do not buy hats and fine garments when children are wanting food. However, in June CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 73 quarter of 1878 there was a decrease of £s>737 ^^ the corresponding period of the previous year, of £4,721 in the September quarter, and of £8,368 in December, as compared with the last quarter of 1877. The first quarter of 1879 gave a decrease of £9,075 as compared with the first three months of 1878. The committee, of course, attributed it to the " unprecedented state of trade, which is now paralysing the whole society, and affecting especially the working classes, upon whom the society relies for the great bulk of its trade." In the next quarter there was a drop of £1,242, the sales being £5.530 less than in the corresponding period of 1878. There was a similar reduction in the September quarter. This time the loss was ascribed to bad trade combined with growing competition in the town. But the com- mittee were not dismayed. The resvilts were received in the right spirit ; they very well knew the cause through their own suffering. The educational grants were kept up ; mark that ! The tide, however, had begun to turn. There was hope of brighter days, warmer firesides. In December, the committee were able to report an increase of £1,170 13s. 7d. over the previous quarter. A dividend of 2s. 4d. in the pound was paid. They stated with gladness.: — "Under these circum- stances, it is a source of gratification in saying, that the star of progress is still shining upon us ! " Beginning with 1880, the society was again on its asual progressive course. The sales for the March quarter were £813 more than the same quarter of 1879, and £1,842 more than the last quarter of that year. In June, they were £2,860 in advance of the corresponding period of 1879. But think of the joy and blessing which co-operation brings to the people during these times of want and distress. The anxiety of the committee was greatly overwhelmed by the solid aid which the society was able to render to the members affected by the sad depression. In addition to sales, on one or two occasions, there was a reduction of share capital. There were bigger withdrawals from the savings bank and the general clubs ; but it was all going back to the society in ex- 74 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. change for food and raiment. Look at the figures for a moment. From the beginning of 1876 to the end of 1879 — ^the long period of dull trade and conflicts be- tween capital and labour — £77,320 was withdrawn in share capital, the heaviest withdrawals being 1878-9. There was drawn in interest and dividend, £58,423. Of course, in any circumstances, there would have been a considerable amount of these sums paid to the mem- bers. But the fact remains, that they were there to comfort the people when they urgently needed assistance. They were indisputable testimony to the value of co- operation. And they were all the more acceptable, be- cause in those days trade union funds were far from being so extensive as they are to-day. In adversity the masses had learned the virtues of co-operative trading. But how much more glorious it would be if applied to sdl their needs and activities. During the trying years dealt with — 1876-79 — ^the membership had increased from 4,062 to 4,299 ; share capital had gone up from £68,017 a* ^^^ ^'^^- mencement of 1876 to £69,908 at the end of 1879. The committee had not been inactive concerning the growing needs of the society. Even in the very doubtful and disturbing year of 1878, they commenced by making preparations to add dressmaking and millinery to the drapery business. An efficient staff was engaged. The boot and shoe department was removed to 73, Abbey Street. In connection with the drapery trade, a gold license was obtained to enable the com- mittee of management to sell jewellery. We all know that misfortune never comes alone. Perhaps it's afraid of the shadow it brings with it, and seeks support. However, whilst the society was fighting against the odds brought upon the members by a cycle of bad trade, something went wrong in the drapery department. This was in 1879. The committee, no doubt, had many anxious sittings over the affair — probably bmrning the midnight oil. According to a few historical notes compiled by Mr. James Fletcher (once a member of the board and president of the society), a CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. 75 Statement of the position in the drapery department was brought before the committee in the beginning of 1879. There had been a loss. The manager had evidently neglected going through the stock. Acting on the instruction of the committee of management, he was supposed afterwards to have taken stock carefully, and it was declared that the usual dividend of 3s. 3d. in the pound had been made on the business of the department. The committee, however, were not satisfied, and they selected two of their own members to inspect the stock, with the consequence that their original fears were verified. This was to the effect that the quarter's trade showed only a dividend of 3d. in the pound. As Mr. Fletcher puts it : "Of course this made things warm all round. Either the draper had hoodwinked the manager, or the manager had not done his duty. There was great commotion in the society. The quarterly meeting was so crowded we had to adjourn to the Town Hall." That was on July 7th. The meeting, however, was not so stormy as had been expected. Still, the tendering of resignations followed. Two days after the meeting, the draper resigned. Mr. Frank Aspden was appointed in his place. The manager sent in his resignation the following day, but the committee did not think that he was to blame, and they would not accept it. But the rift had one notable result. Feeling that he was in- volved in it, the secretary notified his intention to relinquish his post, and this was accepted in September. This was Mr. Robert Cooper, one of the pioneers, the first shopman, a zealous man of the people, who had held the post for eighteen years. Mr. William Ashworth was appointed fro tern On October 6th, 1879, he was elected permanently. He became a notable character, not only in co-operation, but in the educational life of the town. We shall have more to say of him and his work in a subsequent chapter. In folk-lore, and as a lover of books, he was an inspiration among his fellow- citizens. In 1879 the society had to wipe out a loss of nearly £140 on the Rhoden Mill. But it was in this year that 76 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. the committee commenced the sjrstem of lending money to members on mortgage on cottage property, then at 5 per cent, interest (afterwards reduced to 4 per cent.). This had to be repaid in sums of not less than £20. The benefit of this was evinced some years after, when it was stated with truth that there was a greater percentage of working people in Accrington living in their own houses than in any other town in Is ^ So 1- o r ^ o - ( ^ " J "^4 v-- 21 j Ct -' CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 8l members have purchased houses from the society, forty of whom, up to September, had paid off. The society had eighty-five houses remaining, which are paying a rate of interest ranging from 3-|- to 9^^ per cent. The houses are situated in various parts of the district, and are worth from about £100 to 1^300 each. The newest lot comprises twenty- four cottages at Church Kirk, said to be worth £3,480, which are paying an interest of 5 J per cent. The property paying 9i per cent, is at Rishton, and consists of ten houses worth, on an average, £103 each. The cottage property was valued at £11,911 3s. 3d., whilst there was £25,713 4s. 9d. in mort- gages on cottage property. Among the shares held by the society were £2,550 worth in the Co-operative Wholesale Society I^; o 5 (^^ ^ ^ \ ^ I ^M' / / z: r q; iij j c / H li IT: -J CQ 1- i 1^ 5:^ S - :v u ^ § ^ J CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 93 These fluctuations come to every society. They are to be the most deeply regretted when they arise out of excitement, and a lapse of faith fed by rumour, which may be invariably traced to unfriendly sources. For- tunately, the spirit of progress survives these periodical drawbacks, and continues to carry the people with it. The advancement of the society's interests may be perceived in the following summary of the yearly returns for the third decade of its existence : — Profits and Allowed No. of Share Baceived Interest for Kdnca- Year. Membera. Capital. lor Goods. Realised. Dividend. tion. i i £ £ £ 1881 , • . 4.587 . ■ 82,723 . . 170.967 . . 23,120 . ■ 17.859 . .. 274 1882 , . . 4,872 . . 90.674 . . 180,663 ■ . 26,625 • . 20,907 . .. 321 1883 , ■ ■ 5.409 . • 99.705 . • 199.990 . . 30.103 . . 23,810 . ,. 366 1884 , •• 5.953 • . 110,820 . . 200,608 . • 31.034 • . 25.030 . .. 389 1885 , . . 6,232 . . 122,230 . . 208,307 . • 34,400 . . 27,961 . . 431 1886 , . . 6,309 . . 132,742 . . 209,291 . • 35,633 • . 28,914 , . • 443 1887 , , . 6,402 . • 141.403 . . 211,226 . ■ 35.325 • . 28.054 ■ .. 431 1888 . . 6,636 . . 149.607 . . 214,727 . . 37.271 . . 29,580 . . 454 1889 , . . 6,865 . . 159.590 . . 209,776 . . 37.143 . . 28,687 .. 439 1890 , . . 6,662 . . 157.578 . . 199,550 . . 34.261 . . 23,509 . . 401 In December, 1890, the society's assets were valued at £177,187. With the exception of £29,082 representing goods in stocks, nearly the whole of it was invested in buildings and shares in co-operative productive schemes. There was £18,800 in shop property ; £18,243 put to the cottage property account ; £3,447 representing cottage property sold to members. Altogether, the property — or buildings — owned by the society was estimated to be worth £49,592. In addition to this there were the two mortgages advanced to the Accrington Spinning and Manufacturing Co. Ltd. of £12,000, and £6,000 to the Vine Spinning Co. Wd. There was a loan of £29,174 entrusted to the Co-operative Wholesale Society, besides £3,400 in shares. In other co-operative productive con- cerns there were investments amounting to £650. There was £1,000 in the Manchester Ship Canal. The society had now one central and ten grocery branches ; one central and six clogging branches ; one central and one Church branch for drapery, also one each for tailoring 94 CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. and boot and shoe. Besides these there were butchering and furniture departments, the former being the most profitable one in the organisation of the society. Whilst the expenses were only iifd. in the pound, the profit amounted to 3s. 4d. Altogether, the results were great. A generation had passed since the originators of the society — the poor weavers and block printers — dis- cussed the need of it by candle-light in Briggs' Entry. There were now new features, new buildings, new faces all about those who still survived. A new generation was about them. Children of i860 had grown into men and women. The population of Accrington had increased from 17,688 in 1861 to 38,603 in 1891 ; the rateable value had gone up from £35,782 to £135,133. Houses had increased from 2,069 to 8,729. Certainly, the progress of the co-operative society was not merely one of the most surprising features of the newer Accring- ton, but one of the most acceptable and beneficial to the people at large. Socially, morally, educationally, and commercially, it had been a force of incalculable value to the betterment of town Ufe. Men were born for the sake of men, that each should assist the other. — Cicero. CHAPTER X. Great Cotton Trade Depression — Society's Further De- velopments — First Treat to Employes — Technical Classes Handed over to To>Mn Council — installation of Electric Ligrhting — Charitable Donations — Grants to Technical Schools — Appointment of Mr. Wm. Holmes as Manager — A Rowdy Meeting: — Losses in Joinery and Furnishing — Branch of A.U.C.B. Started — Annual Children's Treat — Resisnation of Mn Wm. Ashworth as Secretary — Appointment of Mr. Alfred Greenwood — Presentation to Mr. J. Ingham. FOURTH DECADE. \ "%/■ rSETHER caused by fabrication, tactical blun- \ X / ders, or ineflSciency, setbacks to great trading VV concerns are not readily recovered, as a rule. The turnover of the society for 1891 was less than it was in 1889. There had been a reduction of £5,000 in share capital. Much of this had been due to the lowered rate of interest. A cycle of bad trade was beginning which, for the time being, made it next to impossible to regain lost ground. The level of i88g was not restored at the end of 1892, in which year there was a decrease of nearly 200 members. There were less members even at the end of 1893 than in 1889, and it was only at the close of 1894 that the membership again reached the figure of 1889, viz., 6,865. With the excep- tion of one year, profits and interest were less in 1893 than any of the previous seven years. Of course, these re- ductions were accounted for, no doubt, by the terrible condition of the cotton industry. Short-time running of the mills soon has a serious effect on the economic state of the workers' homes. This is frequently reflected in the statistical returns of co-operative societies. For instance, in 1893 the cash received by Accrington and Church 96 CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. Society was less than it was in 1883 — ^ten years before ; it had fallen to £199,141. Singularly enough, there was an increment of share capital. The general diminution in returns, however, was not to be wondered at, when one thinks of the state of the trade in I/ancashire in 1892-3. The M'Kinley tarifi, the collapse of the silver speculation in the Western States of America, and the General Election had had a disastrous effect on industry. Short-time running of mills became general. In respect to the number of persons affected and the extent of the capital concerned, the struggle was said to be un- paralleled between masters and men. It first commenced with the strike at a mill in Stalybridge, which led to local scenes of disorder and great privation. This little skirmish began in April. By the 22nd of the month miUs containing 18,000,000 spindles were stopped. Bands of operatives marched through lyancashire, Yorkshire, and Cheshire begging for bread. On April 23rd a dis- ttirbance was reported in Stalybridge. Soon afterwards the mill was re-started, which ended the general strike. But the trade did not improve. On July 30th, 1892, the masters decided to give notice for a reduction in wages of 10 per cent., the notice to affect 10,000,000 spindles. The operatives urged that short-time rather than a reduction in pay rates should be resorted to. They took a ballot on the eight-hour day question. In favour of adopting this Umitation of hours, 35,371 voted for, and 15,156 against. The masters, however, would not listen to it. On the other hand, the employers failed to get full support for a 10 per cent, reduction, and on September 14th they gave a month's notice to drop wages by 5 per cent. The operatives resisted the demand. The Mayors of Liverpool and Manchester offered to intervene, but the Executive Council of the Amalgamated Association of Operative Spinners would not agree to have the matter submitted to anybody outside the trade. On November 5th the lockout commenced. Over 50,000 persons engaged in connection with 13,000,000 spindles were walking the streets of South Lancashire the following day. Bolton was outside the dispute. The CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. Of] employers of Rochdale, Bury, and Stockport agreed to pay the usual fines to keep their people at work, on the ground that trade was improving. As the weeks went on, the North and North-East Ivancashire Asso- ciation of Employers joined in the struggle, and urged for a 3 per cent, reduction in the rates of pay. By this time over 18,000,000 spindles were stopped. Thousands of looms were idle. Over £70,000 was lost each week in wages alone. This continued from November 7th (Monday) to the 25th of March, 1893— five months. The loss in wages throughout the period was just over £1,000,000. Hence, it is not to be wondered at that the co-opera- tive society felt the poverty to which the people had been reduced. How much worse would they be, how much keener their suffering, how much greater their despair, if, in these conflicts with capital, they were not assisted by that spirit of providence which comes to them when they embrace the principles of co-operation ? However, with the restoration of good trade following upon the two or three years' depression, the business of the society began to increase. But, in spite of the tale of woe due to loss of wages and reduced rations, Accrington Co-operative Society had, in the meantime, proceeded with its usual enter- prise. Every attention was paid to the necessities of the day and the probabilities of the future. Distress had been great in some of the districts covered by the society. The members, however, were alive to the needs of the suffering. In January, 1893, £10 was granted from the reserve fund towards the provision of free break- fasts for poor children ; whilst £30 was given to a fund in Oswaldtwistle, and £20 to one in Church, in relief of htmger and general distress. A rather painful incident occurred in 1891. On April 8th, a clerk, who had been employed by the society, was indicted at the Preston Quarter Sessions, on two charges : (i) Obtaining £1 by false pretences from John Lonsdale Sutcliffe, at Accrington ; (2) obtaining £1 by false pretences from John Wm. Waddington, the moneys of the Accrington gS CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. and Church Industrial Co-operative Society I;n ■X; >- LlJ a!' U -V -> O ,\ o ,^ V C'-' '\ : .;: .,_ ;; CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. lOI of iusistiug upon their pound of flesh, for 8 and lo per cent, on A and B stock. One of the most important matters agitating the town at the present time was the question of purchasing the gas and waterworks undertaking. The Town Council had no mandate to purchase the gas and waterworks at the exorbitant price asked for them. The works would be of utility for all time, but the company should by all means ask a reasonable price. He appealed to them to resist the compensation proposal with all their might, and in conclusion told how the late Mr. John Booth- man was prosecuted and persecuted by the great Accrington monopoly because he tried to break down that monopoly, the greatest monopoly that ever existed in the town. (Hear, hear.) Mr. John Duxbury said they had two propositions before them which were one and the same thing. He rose to second both of them. (I/aughter.) Mr. Milton Haworth stated that the most advisable course in his opinion was for the meeting to pass that resolution and then they would have the power to lay down an installation. He said it was not always advisable to wait for the Corporations, and he referred to the abominable gas supplied by the company. He said there was not one in that room but what would remember the gas smelling worse than a cesspool in their workshops nearly every morning last winter. If the Corporation would get the company to look to the illuminating power of their gas, &c., and put the electric light in competition with it, tiey would have a better quality of gas, and they would have less complaints. Somebody has said in reply to his remarks at the last monthly meeting, and in defence of the gas company, that he was 2S. id. wrong in his figures which he quoted as to the cost of electricity. The man would be about right ; it would be about 5s. lod., if electricity were used from incandescent lamps. The writer carefully con- cealed the fact that in every installation wherever it was laid down there was a mixture of the arc and incandescent lamps, and if they would look at it as an iUuminant they would discover that it was ten times cheaper than gas. The writer stated in the letter that the Board of Trade unit was only equal to 100 feet of gas, but he (the speaker) might tell lum that a Board of Trade unit, in two 2,000 candle-power arc lamps, would give a hght equal to 4,000 candles for one hour, and a hundred feet of gas under the most favourable circumstances would only give a lighting power of about 320 candles during the same period. So they would see the difference and the other comparison was not fair. It was not always advisable to wait for the Cor- poration. The Corporation was very much hnked up with the gas company, and if the Corporation had done their 102 CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. duty in the past they would have had better gas in Accrington than they had had for years. If they gave the board power it would do the gas company and the Cor- poration good. They had led them before and they would lead them again. The electric lighting was subsequently proceeded with. In 1893, the society spent £668 15s. 6d on it. This was charged to the fixed stock account. In 1897 and 1898 (principally in 1897), a further sum of £1,665 19s. 5d. was spent, which, altogether, reached a total of £2,334 14s- iid- The sum expended in 1897-8 was kept separate in the capital account (not being charged to fixed stock), but was quickly written ofi out of the profits as follows : — In March, 1897, £250 ; in Sep- tember, 1897, £200 ; in December, 1897, £250 ; in March, 1898, £250 ; in Jime, 1899, £100 ; in December, 1899, £100 ; in March, 1900, £250 ; in Jtme, 1900, £265 19s. 5d. ; total, £1,665 iQS- 5d. Charitable Gifts. The year 1893 was rather uneventful as regards the actual work of the society. Although the town was suffering through the depression in the cotton trade, the committee saw their way to increase the society's shares in the Co-operative Newspaper Society frorn £20 to £300. In addition to grants to charity in cotton factory districts, already enumerated, £20 was taken from the reserve fund and given to the colliery disaster fund at Thornhill. In April, 1894, the action of the board of management in presenting the Ambulance Society with a stand for implements was sanctioned. In all cases of charity, the society had shown willingness to assist. Year after year grants were made to local in- firmaries, and to the Royal Infirmary and the Eye Hospital in Manchester. And when donations were sought for the erection of the Accrington and District Cottage Hospital, the co-operative society came forward with the handsome gift of £500. This was decided at the quarterly meeting of January 7th, 1895. Besides this amotmt, £30 was contributed to the Blackburn and CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. IO3 East I^ancashire Infirmary, £io to the Blind Institution, and six guineas to the two Manchester Hospitals afore- mentioned. A grant of £20 was made to the Technical School for prizes to be devoted to poor children. The society also helped the Accrington Relief Fund to the extent of ^20, gave ^^5 to the Diglake Colliery Disaster Fund, and two guineas to the National I^ifeboat In- stitution. This was a year of big proposals with respect to extensions of the business. A special general meeting was convened on March 7th, at which the members approved of the purchase of property in Oak Street and Abbey Street, for ;f2,300, from Mr. Wm. Smith ; also purchase of property in Oak Street from Mr. C. Harrison and others for £220. The property purchased from Mr. Smith was made into a confectioner's shop and res- taurant, which is still in existence. The confectionery business was opened in June, 1896. The committee were given power to erect a bakery department in Bank Street. The estimate for the brickwork was £996, whilst the joinery and carpentry contract, carried out by the society's own workmen, was £330. At this meeting, it was also resolved to extend the furniture and joinery productive department. On July 8th the following resolution was adopted : — That always, in future, we pay to members 2S. 6d., and non-members 2S. per pound for checks purchased. The general committee were empowered at the next quarterly meeting (October) to build, buy, or loan money on mortgage security. A Record Meeting. One of the largest meetings ever held in the history of the society took place on February 3rd, 1896. It had been specially called to deal with questions of interest and share capital. The Assembly Rooms in Oak Street being too small for the purpose, the adjoining Sunday School of the Independent Chapel was utilised. Mr. Riley (president) was in the chair. At that time the maxi- 104 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. mum capital which a member could hold was ;£ioo. The interest was at the rate of 4^ per cent., providing a mem- ber had spent £2 with the society in the quarter. The object of the meeting was to raise the amotmt to £5. The board had recommended the increase. It had been stated that the society was being used by several members as a bank, on accoimt of the large interest and great security. A statement carefully prepared by the secretary (Mr. Wm. Ashworth) showed that 396 members owned £37,260 of the share capital, which was equal to nearly one-quarter of the total shares. They had received in interest £380 for the quarter, whilst their average purchases were less than £3. This worked out at a loss of £145 per quarter in interest. Of £16,500 which had been in the bank from the 7th of the previous July, there had been a loss of 3^ per cent, in interest, as the society only received i per cent, on the amotmt. There were two courses open — either to reduce the share capital, or the interest on shares of large share- holders whose purchases did not reach a higher minimum than that at present prevailing. It was shown that 3,120 members held less than £1 ; they received no interest, whilst their average annual expenditure was £25 each, or in all £78,000. This paid £4,000 of the working expenditure, or more than one-third of the society's total expenses. It was estimated that to raise the minimum expenditure to £5 per quarter, would in- crease the receipts by £14,000 per annum and reduce the working expenses one penny in the pormd. There were 1,500 members who received interest on £1 to £100, and whose average purchases were about £3 per quarter. But 420 of these owning £39,000 in shares, only averaged pur- chases equal to £21 i8s. 6d. each per year ; they received £600 a year more than the profits on the purchases. These 1,500 members paid an average of 2S. iid. per quarter for working expenses, whilst 5,700 paid an average of 17s. 4d. per head. In reply to a query, the secretary stated the society had £24,000 invested in cottages yielding an interest of 3 per cent. ; £49,000 in mortgages with interest at 4 per cent. ; £37,000 with CO-OPERATION IN A.CCRINGTON. I05 the Wholesale Society, bearing 3 per cent, interest. After a warm discussion, the meeting decided, on the motion of Mr. S. Kenyon, seconded by Mr. G. A. Whit- taker, to raise the minimum quarterly purchases from £2 to £5. For the motion there were 376 votes and 50 votes against. Only 2^ per cent, was to be allowed on purchases below £5 per quarter. Other interesting items for this year (1896) were : — ■ April 6th. — Committee empowered to erect or rent a shop in Richmond Hill. That shares in Manchester Ship Canal of ;fi,ooo be reduced to £100, the loss to be transferred from reserve fund. July 6th. — That committee of management be paid following salaries quarterly : President, jf3 los. (raised from 50S.) ; members representing Accrington, £2 los. (raised from 35s.), and three representing Church and Tinker, £2 17s. That ;f20 be paid to Technical Instruc- tion Committee towards education of members' children only. That on accotmt of extraordinary expenses in connection with National Lifeboat Association in the distribution of funds, we do not pay further sub- scriptions. October 5th. — ^That we take up £50 as share and £200 as loan capital in Burnley SeH-Help Manufacturing Society. October gth. — Garbett Street and Eddleston Street grocery shops opened. The donation to the I^ifeboat Institution was not entertained the following year ; nor in 1898. Mr. Milton Haworth had expressed the opinion that the money was going into the hands of " vampires and parasites." In the Diamond Jubilee year of Queen Victoria (1897), the society again responded to calls for charitable purposes. A subscription of 100 guineas was devoted to the District Nurses Scheme. Two grants were made to Church district, one for an ambulance box, and the other in behalf of an old folks' treat. On the applica- tion of Mr. Mason, £60 los. was given for scholarships at the Technical School. On February 8th, a special I06 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. members' meeting voted that £105 be contributed to the Indian Famine Fimd. In January (1897) it was re- solved to subscribe one penny per member to the Co- operative Union. On July 5th, the educational com- mittee were invested with the power of giving £10 to the Technical School evening classes prize fund, in place of £5 which had been granted previously. At the quar- terly meeting on October 4th, there was a gloom cast over the proceedings by the ilhiess on the one hand of the secretary, and on the other hand of the manager (Mr. George Abbott Whiteside). A vote of sympathy was moved towards both, but Mr. Whiteside did not live to receive it. He died as the meeting was being con- cluded. He had been in the employ of the society for fifteen years, ten of which he served as manager. He was fifty-four years of age, and had duriag his good services to the society been particularly active and zealous in its development, especially in the promotion of the departments for building and cabinetmaking. The vacancy caused by his death was filled by the appointment of Mr. W. Holmes, October 28th, 1897, whilst Mr. George Blackledge was selected as assistant manager. One of the first acts of the society in 1898 was the payment of £s towards a fund for the purchasing of an ambulance van for Accrington. In July of this year, the quarterly meeting sanctioned the payment of £60 los. to the Technical School, for maintenance grant and day scholarships ; also the following separate sums : £15 for evening continuation fund ; £5 5s. evening classes prize fund ; £3 3s. Technical School prize fund, Oswald- twistle. These made a total of £83 i8s. paid by the educational committee of the society. ThK, of course, was only one of the numerous substantial proofs of co-operators' zeal for the spread of education. In writing a general history of the growth of Accrington, it would be a grave omission not to pay a deserving tribute to the co-operative society for its invaluable aid in the social and educational progress of the people. Further proof of this was manifested again in July of CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. IO7 1899, when the educational committee were empowered to pay another sum of ;f8i 8s. in favour of technical education. This was allocated as follows : Day scholarships, £53 ; evening scholarships, £20 ; Accring- ton and Oswaldtwistle prize funds, 5 guineas and 3 guineas respectively. Similar grants were confirmed by the members in July of 1900. Turning back to 1898, we find that £150 was paid to the liquidators of the Burnley Self-Help Manufacturing Society, making the total investments to this society in loans, shares, and bonds, £400. Mysterious Disappearance of Books. A rather regrettable incident took place in this year. A sum of money that should have been accotmted for in connection with the joinery and furnishing depart- ments, could not be traced. There appeared to be an air of mystery about the affair. This was increased, too, owing to the death of the late manager (Mr. Whiteside), but more so by the loss of two books containing all particulars with respect to the working of the depart- ment. Rumour, wild and otherwise, began to play its part in the scenes that followed. In the Accrington Observer and Timss of July 2nd there was a long article, attacking co-operation. The society was accused of having injured the interests of the members by a " cut- throat " competition wilfully directed against private traders of the town. However, all the hubbub arose through a loss of ^^1,416 in the year's accounts in con- nection with the furnishing department. An uproarious meeting of members took place in Oak Street Congrega- tional Schoolroom, of which a three-colimm report appeared in the local press on July 9th. The mystery of the missing books — the contract and detail books — was not cleared. In the meeting, which lasted for three hours, there were constant interruption and frequent cries for " new blood." The two auditors retired, one of whom (Mr. T. W. Ivord) did not seek re-election. The other one (Mr. H. He5rworth) was reappointed along I08 CO-OPERATION IN ACCBINGTON. with Mr. W. P. I^angstafEe. With regard to the state of affairs, however, the president of the society (Mr. John Riley) made a long statement. He was of the opinion that the losses had not occurred in the one twelve months. He attributed them to having imdertaken large contracts. Nevertheless, the meeting showed a strong disposition to have a change. The result was that the six members of the committee eligible for re- election were rejected. The following gentlemen were put in their places : Messrs. J. R. Shuttleworth, H. East- wood, R. W. Ashton, W. Holmes for Accrington, and Messrs. J. Charnock and A. Aspden for Church. Dis- turbance was also created in other ways. Trouble arose, for instance, out of a contract, undertaken by the society, to paint the Market Hall. The committee had tendered to do the work for £iii. It cost £300, however. The matter was placed before the Corporation. The lowness of the tender was acknowledged, and the society's estimate was increased by £100. In this year, too, further commotion was caused in connection with transactions in the furniture department. A gentleman who had been acting as agent was given three months' notice to relinquish the post. He had been receiving commisf ion on all goods sold outside the town — except Clayton-le-Moors — of 2J per cent. During the past quarter, £300 worth of articles were thus supplied, of which £260 had been obtained by the manager of the department ; in fact, it was stated that orders to the value of £20 only had been secured by canvassing. But the agent took the commission on the whole £300. At the same time, he was said to be a representative of a private firm of soap makers. Deviations from the ordinary routine of the society's proceedings nearly always have the effect of retarding progress for the time being. Faith with some people is a slim and fluctuating quality. Sales fell off. The unfavourable influence may be perceived by a glance at the statistics placed at the end of this chapter. In 1898 (on July ist), the Accrington branch of the Amalgamated Union of Co-operative Employes was 'A -V;--^ 1'^ <^ K I'l (^(n \j f< ^ O l^ o 1- S lO " 1 _1 ■''mm (Q .s>o ^— V f- '='r '.S^ Q o lu /<"' ^' i:/> O q: i: OO fi =.^ ^ ,^ ( 1 >^'^ ^ Q ^ 5 N"i •»• r-' Jt, li ] D ! 5: Jd I-' ,y) O H ^ IQ rfA O "P 1 1 f "vy' CO-OPERATION IN ACCKINGTON. IO9 started with eighteen members. The membership has gone up and down ; the highest number was reached in 1908, when it was 139. In March of the present year (igio) it had fallen to 121. The joint secretaries are Messrs. W. Entwistle and Henry Brcwn (grocery assistants). The branch was started on the dissolution of the Sick and Benefit Society, which had then 200 members, and was established in 1890. In April, 1899, the salary of the secretary of the edu- cational committee was raised from £6 to £10 per aimtun. ;£6,ooo was advanced on mortgage to the Vine Spinning Company Limited in respect to their mill at Oswald- twistle. A further sum of £14,000 was advanced on mortgage on July 2nd, 1900. The question of interest was left with the committee of management. The Spinning Company had proposed increasing their plant to the extent of 33,000 spindles, thus bringing the total spindleage to 64,000. During 1900 the following charitable subscriptions were sanctioned : — January 2nd. — South African War Fund, £31 los. April 2nd. — Indian Famine Fvmd, £105. A subscription of 50 guineas was granted to the Accrington Free Library, to be spent in connection with the reference department. The children's treat in- augurated by the educational committee was approved. It was decided at the October quarterly meeting that the conference committee secretary be paid los. per quarter ; that the treasurer of the Education Depart- ment be paid 30s. per quarter. An event of special interest, however, in this year, was a presentation to Mr. W. Ashworth, who had served the society in the office for thirty-seven years. He was secretary for twenty years. He resigned this position on January 13th. Mr. Alfred Greenwood (the present general secretary) was then appointed his successor. Mr. Ashworth had been a remarkable man. He had been helped by the influence of the society from very humble circumstances in life. He became, however, not no CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. only influential in local co-operative work, but his individuality had been felt for many years in the educational affairs of the town. He was not merely a reader of books, but a genuine lover of them. The unique collection he afterwards gave to the town, which is now preserved in the town's library, may be alluded to elsewhere. But on January 2nd, 1900, the quarterly meeting resolved to accept the suggestion of the com- mittee of management concerning a testimonial to be given to Mr. Ashworth as a token of the esteem in which he was held. This consisted of 100 guineas and a miniature bookcase filled with forty volumes of Jardine's Naturalists' Library ; also a portrait of himself, sur- rounded by photographs of the members of the board, the managers, and the new secretary. Mr. Ashworth's work and character were also acknowledged by the employes. They were recognised also by the town, for on August 1st, 1900, he was appointed Justice of the Peace for Accrington. When this promotion was annoimced, the members of the society forwarded to him a congratulatory letter expressed in very sincere and graceful phrases. This year also, a worthy testimonial was prepared in honour of Mr. John Ingham, on his retirement from the position of chairman of the educational committee of the society. His services had been long and enthusiastic. On June 28th, however — three months after the decision to honour him with a suitable testimonial — he passed away. He was then in his seventy-fourth year. A vote of condolence was conveyed to Mrs. Ingham and her family on July 2nd. At the same proceedings the committee agreed that a large photograph of the deceased should be prepared and placed in the board- room. A duplicate of the picture was afterwards presented to the widow. Mr. Ingham had been of commendable service in the educational advancement not only of the society, but of the town. He was one of the first members of the Mimicipal Technicaiyn- struction Committee. .■- Other events of 1900 included the opening of the CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. Ill Tremellen Street branch store. At the close of the fourth decade of the society, the assets of the members were valued at £222,646. Of this sum, £25,489 was invested in shop property ; £20,576 in cottage property, whilst £62,148 was in mortgages in cottage property ; the society held mortgages in spinning companies amounting to £20,000 ; it had loans in co-operative productive concerns valued at £36,433, of which £35,830 was with the C.W.S. ; shares estimated to be worth £6,265 were owned in connection with productive societies. Despite the one or two disturbances in the ordinarily smooth proceedings of the society, the ten years had been progressive from year to year, except in 1893, the year of strikes, lock-outs, and bad trade in the cotton in- dustry, and again in 1898, when confidence had been shaken by rumour and grave omissions of duty on the part of one or two members. The following table epitomises the stages of progress : — Profits and AUowed No ol Share Beceived Interest for Ednca Year. Members. Capital. for Goods. Bealised. Dividend. tion. i £ £ £ £ 1891 . 6,894 . . IS4,667 . . 206,140 . 35.315 . . 23,917 . 437 1892 . 6.699 . . 158,372 . . 207,945 . 35.769 . . 24,400 . 437 1893 . 6,848 . . 160,410 , . 199.141 . 34,776 . . 27,450 . 419 1894 . 6,865 . . 168,755 . . 211,497 . 36,924 . . 29,212 . 448 1895 . 7,226 . . 177.971 • • 217,537 . 38.224 . . 30.055 . 463 1896 . 7.444 . . 185,236 . . 229,484 . 41.101 . . 32,364 . 504 1897 . 7.263 . . 186,707 . . 236,103 . 43.379 . . 34.144 . 535 1898 . 7.394 . . 186,663 . . 228,289 . 40,963 . . 32.930 . 496 1899 . 7.SSI . . 193.948 . . 227,841 . 40,689 . . 33.263 . 526 1900 . 7.918 . . 201,791 . . 252,278 . 47.194 . . 36,878 . 572 Where there is no vision the people perish. CHAPTER XI. Building Rate of Interest Reduced — Death of Mr. Milton Haworth and Mr. Samuel Kenyon— C.W.S. Delegates to Represent Employes — Hard Times Again — First Grant to B.C.G.Ai — ^Room and Power Company— Death of Mr, J. Riley. FIFTH DECADE. WE now come to the beginning of the fifth decade of the society's existence. With the exception of 1908, an increase at any rate in the sale of goods is shown from year to year. It will be remembered that 1908 was a disastrous year to trading interests in all parts of the kingdom. jThe great Co- operative Wholesale Society was seriously affected by the same cause. At the beginning of 1901, however, the Accrington and Church Society had the following places of business : — Grocery : Central, Dowry Street, Ellison Street, Nuttall Street, Richmond Street, Water Street, Antley, Garbett Street, Primrose Street, Eddleston Street, Tremellen Street, Baxenden, Huncoat ; Market Street and York Street, Church ; Tinker. Butchering : Central, Dowry Street, EUison Street, Nuttall Street, Richmond Street, Primrose Street, Water Street. Antley, Church, and Tinker. Drapery : Central (Accrington) and Church. Boot and Shoe : Central (Accrington) and Church. Clogging : Central, Dowry Street, Ellison Street, Nuttall Street, Richmond Street, Water Street, Tinker. Tailoring : Central and Church. Bakery and Confectionery : Central and Church. Furniture : Central (retail and wholesale). 'IC^^ ! C i 3 Ci} X uj i_U u -. CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. II3 The members of the committee of management were : — Messrs. John Riley (president) George Hay- hurst, Milton Haworth, Robert W. Ashton, John R. Shuttleworth, Richard Wood, Joseph E. Pollard, William Holmes, George Tilstone, Arthur Aspden, and Jonathan Charnock. The members of the educational committee were : — Messrs. Joseph Booth, George Brownbill, James F. Crawford, William Grimshaw, Daniel Holden, John Duckworth, Ellis Clegg, Thomas Myall, Joseph Pil- kington, Fred Maudsley, and Mrs. Robert O. Mills. The auditors were : — Messrs. Henry Heyworth, William P. I,angstaffe, and Alfred Anson. Towards the end of 1900 — on November 5th, to be exact — it was suggested that power should be given to the board of management to invest some of the society's surplus capital in debenture stock. The following meeting was made into a special one to consider this matter. On December 3rd, it was agreed to adjourn the question till the ensuing quarterly meeting. This occurred on April loth, 1901, and the gathering decided not to entertain the proposal. Other means were offered for the use of surplus capital. It was again utilised to some extent by aiding local industry. In January, 1901, the board were empowered with the right to lend £12,000 on mortgage to the Hippings Vale Spinning Co., this being the first grant made in respect to this concern. At the same quarterly meeting, the members agreed to the board's proposition to reduce the rate of interest on money advanced under the building rules from 5 to 4^ per cent. There was then £64,790 owing by 201 persons in connection with the cottage property mort- gage account. The total amovmt advanced since the commencement of this system of lending was £204,185, of which £139,395 had been repaid. The rate of interest on mortgage was 4 per cent. The large proportion of the business then done through the mortgage depart- ment was for single houses, formerly transacted tmder the building rules. Out of the 201 mortgages standing on the society's books, 99 were on single houses. 114 CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. The question of handing over the central library to the town was discussed, but eventually the matter was dropped. A grant of £50 was made to the educational department for the piurpose of providing a children's treat. It was also decided to purchase a banner worthy of the society. A proposal from the educational com- mittee to grant £78 towards a scholarship fund at the Municipal School was adopted. This year, co-operation lost two democratic loyalists in the death of Mr. Milton Haworth and Mr. Samuel Kenyon. Mr. Kenyon passed away on March 4th, rather suddenly. He was an Accringtonian born and bred. His most conspicuous co-operative work was performed in connection with the North-East I,ancashire Association of the Co-operative Union. He attended its meetings constaiitly. He was the secretary of the organisation for the last nine or ten years of his life. At the Huddersfield Co-operative Congress in 1894 he was appointed a member of the North- Western Sectional Board ; he was chairman of the Section during the Congress year of 1899-1900. Beloved by all who knew him, he was true to the co-operative ideals, whilst he was ever courteous, patient, and tolerant. It is out of the quiet work and sympathetic thinking of such men as he, that the working classes have been raised to a higher social level. Pneumonia carried him away at the age of fifty-four years. About six weeks after Mr. Kenyon 's demise, Mr. Milton Haworth was no more. He died on April 17th, 1901. He was the son of a hand-loom weaver. Born at Chorley, in 1840, he was reared at the bobbin-wheel. When he was fourteen years of age his parents removed to Accrington, where he became a power-loom weaver ; he remained at the loom tiU within two years of his fatal illness. In him, the co-operative movement and the citizens of Accrington had a remarkable character. He was fami- harly known as " Milton," and there was something Miltonic in his nature. A great reader, an original thinker, and a man who never shirked an expression of his convictions — even his unpopular convictions — he CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. II5 was a force among his fellow-men. There was something heroic about the life and work of this factory operative, with his wide range of knowledge and his outstanding powers of debate. In Lancashire and Yorkshire in particular, he was a sort of Demosthenes in the co- operative movement, with the welfare of the Co-opera- tive State and the common people always in his mind. During the intense excitement in the labour disputes of 1878, he was one who went about warning his fellow weavers against taking any unduly rash acts. He was an ardent foUower of Charles Bradlaugh, and with tmflinching courage, he devoted much of his life to the strenuous fight for freedom of thought and action among men and women. However much we may forget of what we owe to the bravery and sincerity of men like Milton Haworth, let us at least grace the pages of this history with this brief tribute of his worth to those among whom he laboured at the loom, in the co-operative assembly, in the public institutions for the promotion of reason, truth, and education. He became a member of the board of management of the Accrington and Church Society at the age of thirty-one years. He was elected a representative of the Co-operative Newspaper Society's board in 1880. To a man of his type, this was a most useful and congenial appointment. In this capacity, he worked with great sincerity on behalf of the Co-operative News till his death. His daughter (Mrs. Ada Slack) is now a prominent member of Accrington Society, and a well-known worker in the Women's Guild movement. Suitable memorials were erected to Mr. Haworth and Mr. Kenyon. They were tnJy honourable men. Mr. George Brownbill was chosen to succeed Mr. Milton Haworth as the representative on the board of the Newspaper Society. Mr. Brownbill is still holding this position zealously and creditably. However, at the July quarterly meeting in 1901 a rather interesting departure was made. It was decided to receive loan capital from members to the amount of £50, at 2i per cent, interest per annum, paid quarterly. This was increased to £100 in April, 1902. In many Il6 CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. respects the year 1901 was an eventfxil one. The people were again suffering through a shortage of work and wages. A special meeting took place on September 24th, to consider the needs of those in distress. It was agreed that £500, if necessary, be taken from the reserve fund, and distributed in food and clothing. This, of course, was another instance of the society's unwavering generosity towards those in need. On October 2nd it was resolved that £2,000 be transferred from the reserve fund towards the reduction of the Central property ac- count. The object of this was to take the first financial step towards the necessity of new Central Premises. Con- siderable interest was manifested in the proceeding. But the idea has not been realised, owing probably to extensive alterations since made, which seem to have caused its abandonment for the present. At the monthly meeting in November thanks were extended to Mr. Robert Greenwood, one of the pioneers, for his presentation to the society of the first pair of scales made use of in the business. The gratitude was accompanied by a vote of condolence to Mr. Greenwood in respect to the death of his wife. The society was mainly concerned in administrative work in 1902. A departmre was made in the appoint- ment of delegates to the quarterly meetings of the C.W.S. in Manchester. At the monthly gathering in March, it was resolved that in future one delegate be selected to represent the employes and another to represent the members. These were in addition to the usual number appointed from the conference committee. At a Congress on the subject of Old-Age Pensions, in London, the society was represented by Messrs. A. T. Townsend and George Brownbill. The Ivabour Co- partnership Association was invited to hold its conference in Accrington in 1903. On August 4th a special meeting was convened to consider the desirability of revising the rules. For this purpose the following gentlemen were elected as a committee : — Messrs. John Riley, John lyord, Robert W. Ashton, W. Holmes, G. Brown- bill, G. Hayhurst, R. Wood, A. T. Townsend, and J. J ! / o a i; cc 1 ^ £ 5|' f— ■^7 1 'O >^ If f-r^ \ Hi '■* CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. II7 Healey. An outstanding feature of the year was a monstre demonstration and field day, promoted by the committees of the educational department and the Women's Guild. This took place on Saturday, June 2ist, at Moorhead. The attendance included about 6,000 cleanly attired children in a merry mood. It was a triumphant function. To meet any emergency that might arise from the hostility of private traders, privilege was conceded to the board to draw £500 from the reserve fimd, if required. Other items of the year in- cluded : — That stock be taken half-yearly and an interim dividend be paid for the quarters ending June 8th and December 8th. That ;£ioo be granted to the educational committee from the reserve fund for special library purposes. That £202 be subscribed to the building fund of the Co-operative Convalescent Home, Norbreck, Blackpool. That the committees of the educational department and the Women's Guild be empowered to engage the Town Hall for drawing-room concerts in the following February. Resolved, on January 6th, to close the Baxenden news- room. As must have been perceived by the reader, it had become traditional with the society to help the distressed. In this respect, as in educational matters, the members had been always the first to move with practical sym- pathy. They knew, of course, the agony of wanting food, the saddening influence of the empty larder and shoeless feet, when men had no work and children wept with cold and hunger. None of us has yet forgotten the disheartening conditions in Lancashire in 1902 and 1903, and part of 1904. In many cases hunger and hard suffering were equal to those that were borne in the Cotton Famine of the early sixties. It is curious, though, that these periodical returns of poverty have not a deeper and a more active influence in moving the people to more direct co-operative action in regard to the requirements of life. The most dependent on others — on those who exploit them — for their weekly wages and loaves, the workers are always the first to be swept into the circumstances of want by the recurring waves Il8 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. of depression in trade. Co-operative history in every indastrial centre is punctuated with such regrettable incidents. Nevertheless, co-operative societies are never loth to help ; indeed, they are always with the front rank of those who come to soothe the cries of the hungry. That they can do this is in itself an indisputable testimony to the value of co-operation. More and more co-operation in all the things and needs of life, and the more and more would this returning poverty become impossible. But, in 1903, many in Accrington who could and would work if they had had it, were wanting bread and clogs, and warmer clothing. And please remember, it was the co-operative society that first reminded the authorities of the town that this was so. They had already done much for their own members. But in the cold days of October, it was resolved to send the fol- lowing noble resolution to the Town Clerk : — That in the opinion of this meeting the time has arrived for the Mayor and Town Council to open a relief fund for the assistance of those persons in the town who are at present in need owing to depression in trade, and are not members of a co-operative society or friendly society, and that we offer a first contribution of 2,000 loaves. It is to be hoped in times like these that co-operative societies will be ever ready to give bread and not a stone to those outside their ranks who ask for it. It is to be hoped, too, that co-operation will some day, in its further development, render these dire necessities of the poor a thing of the past. The action of the com- mittee in granting relief was confirmed at the same meeting, and the fund which had been previously started was re-opened. For this year the items below may be recorded : — That £$0 in shares be taken in Heckmondwike Co-opera- tive Drying and Dry Cleaning Society Idmited. That salaries to members of the board of management be increased to £18 8s. annually in the case of the President, to £13 14s. for Accrington, and ;£i4 14s. for Church mem- bers. That ;Sioo in shares and £$0 in loan capital be invested in the North Wales Quarries ttd. CO-OPERATION IN ACCKINGTON. II9 Owing to the practice of gambling, the members, at the quarterly meeting in October, sanctioned the closing of the newsroom at Huncoat. This was ordered to be re-opened at the half-yearly meeting of the present year (1910). At the beginning of 1904, the society subscribed £100 to the funds of the British Cotton-Growing Association, which had been in existence only a few months. Other special events of this year included the granting of fifteen day and one hundred evening scholarships on behalf of the educational committee, tenable at the Technical School ; also one hundred and fifty evening and seven day scholarships were awarded in the name of the society, amounting to an extra expenditure of £45 15s. Every year the society maintained its high reputation in connection with the town's educational necessities. The committee were empowered with the right of investing ;f5,ooo in special mortgages, other than cottage property. £25 was invested in the Cal- derdale Co-operative Clog Sundries Manufacturing Society. Always willtag to help in good causes, £57 7s. 6d. was contributed towards the needs of the Mex- borough and Thornes Co-operative Societies, in response to an appeal from the Co-operative Union. The year closed with an additional investment of £100 in the British Cotton-Growing Association, making £200 for the twelve months. Always alive to the industrial as well as the social and educational welfare of the town, the society summoned a special meeting, on February 6th, 1905, to discuss the subject of mill building. It had been suggested that there should be formed in the town a room and- power company for the erection of weaving sheds in the district. The meeting resolved : " That in the event of a room and power company being formed, and two-thirds of the required share capital being subscribed, we undertake to subscribe the remaining third of the capital." This subject had been carefully investigated by Councillor James Whittaker and two others. Room and power companies are comparatively 120 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. numerous in Nelson and district. Their object is to build factories and furnish them with driving-power and all that is essential to the working of the looms. Manufacturers provided the looms and occupy the building on a rental. The idea of entering this business had occupied the attention of some members of the society for a year or two before the above resolution was adopted. Mr. Whittaker had come to the conclusion that there was little risk in the undertaking, provided sheds were erected for the housing of 1,200 looms or over. This subject, however, is one of special interest to North and North-East I^ancashire ; and with the object of furnishing valuable information in respect to it, and also to indicate to what extent the society was in- strumental in inaugurating such undertaking, Mr. Whittaker has generously contributed to this history an article dealing, fuUy and instructively, with the matter. We append the article with pleasure. ACCRINGTON Mil,!, BUILDING COMPANY. "In the year 1903, one of Accrington's most dis- tinguished citizens — who was an ex-mayor, a county councillor, a borough councillor, and since then has become a member of Parliament — ^Mr. John Sharp Higham — made a suggestion that one of the needs of the town was the provision of weaving sheds for manu- facturers who would find their own machinery ; also that the Accrington and Church Industrial Co-operative Society should partly or wholly undertake the erection of these buildings. The desire for information as to the cost of these undertakings, the class of buildings which would prove most economical and suitable, and the terms of letting to tenants before plunging into any scheme or schemes of such a nature, was evident on every hand. Three members of the society took it into their heads to do something in that direction, and on New Year's Day of 1904, Messrs. James Baldwin, Wilkinson Eastwood, and myself, went to Nelson and district to seek information. CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINOTON. 121 "Nelson and district had long been regarded as the home of manufacturers in a small way of business. At present there are nineteen firms there that work from eight to 120 looms, they having a total of 1,376 looms. In Accrington a similar number of firms work 15,450 looms, the whole of the looms in the borough. In a general sense, it may be said that Nelson has one loom for each of its inhabitants. Blackburn one loom to every two of its population, and Accrington one loom to every three of its residents. These considerations were sufficient for looking upon Nelson and the district as the most likely place for picking up useful information. "As one may already gather from the large number of cotton manufacturers in a small way in the district visited, the system of letting weaving sheds where the manufacturer finds the machinery, yarns, and labour, is very prevalent. The owners of the sheds provide water, coal, and oil, as well as men to look after the boilers and engines. The letting terms to manufacturers were found to be from 40s. to 42s. per loom space per annum, which is assumed as 87 inches. In other Lancashire districts, we learned of variations from 39s. to 47s. 6d. per loom for this class of letting. " It was thought by the writer of this article that those who might become occupiers of this class of premises would desire to have some good idea of the values of their holdings as determined by the rating authorities, and for this purpose he procured the basis or standard recognised in the district. The gross values are as follow : " Class I., IS. lod, per square yard ; Class 2, is. 7d. per square yard ; Class 3, is. 4d. per square yard ; plus 8s. for each indicated horse power. Seventeen square yards of floor space in a loom shed are taken as one indicated horse-power, also 250 winding spindles with beaming one indicated horse-power, and each tape-sizing machine as equivalent to ten indicated horse-power ; cellars and attics to be reckoned at half their actual area, inside measurements to be taken in all cases ; and the land for site of mill or shed, chimneys, boiler-houses, steam and water power, yards and lodges, to be taken as 122 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. included in the items named, except in special circum- stances when they are dealt with separately. The de- ductions from gross to rateable are 25 per cent. " It would have been idle to expect either the society or anyone else to venture upon building mills without some evidence that a reasonable rate of interest would be reaHsed from the amount which it would be necessary to spend ; and on this point it was ascertained that in one such undertaking a profit of £910 allowed for the pay- ment of a 5 per cent, dividend to shareholders ; a second concern paid a dividend of 5 per cent., with an average depreciation of £267 per annum ; a third realised a 4 per cent, dividend ; and a fourth a profit of £571 after allowing a depreciation of £457. These resvdts were fairly satisfactory, and r430wed that if the society and the public decided to go forward with a project they would have Uttle occasion to regret their decision. " In the building, equipping, and letting of weaving sheds there is always the possibility that tenants might come forward who would prefer to do their own turning of the machinery, and it was thought that if the society should go in for building some such case might arise, and that some site might be chosen where water was not easily obtainable. To meet these cases it was ascer- tained that a shed with 1,000 looms and preparatory machinery would consume about 27 to 30 tons of coal per week ; that the wages for engine tenter and fireman would be about £3 per week ; and that the water authority charged about 2s. 3d. per indicated horse- power, equivalent to £40 per 1,000 looms. Eventually, the society decided to make a strong effort to establish a miU company. At the end of February, 1905, the fol- lowing announcement appeared in the local press. To All Persons Interested In the Formation of a. Mill Building Company. The undersigned have fallen into line with the suggestions of several persons as to the necessity for the building of another weaving shed in this district, and are prepared to take up shares to the extent of one-third providing the other two-thirds are CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. 123 first subscribed. Will any persons interested in the formation of the above attend a meeting to be held on Wednesday evening next, March ist, 1905, in the Court Room, Town Hall, Accring- ton ? Chair to be taken at 8 o'clock. (Signed) The Committee, Accrington and Church Industrial Co-operative Society Limited, A. Greenwood, Secretary. "The meeting was attended by a fairly large number of townspeople. Thomas Whittaker, Bsq., of the firm of C. Whittaker and Co. litd. (brick machinists and engineers), was elected to the chair, and it was decided to form a miU building company. A very pleasing feature of the meeting was a statement that the Weavers' Association would be recommended by their executive to take £1,000 in shares. Although not present at the meeting, the writer was appointed to take the secretarial duties, and Mr. George Hayhurst was elected to act with me. There was a provisional committee selected to bring the matter to a successful issue. It consisted of Messrs. Joseph Booth, John Riley, and Richard Wood of the co-operative society ; Mr. Henry Heap of the Weavers' Association ; and Messrs. Thomas Whittaker, Richard Anderton, John Harwood, I/uke I^aw, and Joseph Speak, to represent the pubUc. At the first meeting, Mr. Thomas Gordon was added to the com- mittee, and Mr. Joseph Speak resigned when a few meetings had taken place. "The company was formed with a nominal capital of ;£30,ooo in shares of £i each. The Co-operative Society took up 5,000 shares ; the Weavers' Association i,ooo ; Messrs. C. Whittaker and Co. Ltd. 1,200 ; and others subsequently took up shares, bringing the total value to £15.370- "Although the primary object was that of building mills for letting purposes, it was deemed advisable to include in the memorandum of association, if found necessary, powers to carry on the business of spinning and weaving, or deaHng in cotton or other fibrous sub- stances, the acquisition of land, and other matters. " A weaving shed, however, has been built, and filled 124 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. with looms and preparation machinery, and the whole of the 1,232 looms and accessories let to Mr. J. H. Ashworth (of Burnley) on the hire-purchase system. " In view of the society having once embarked on this enterprise, and the possibility that they may again do so, a brief summary of the cost and outlay of the mill in which they are largely interested, may be useful at some future date : — I s. d. Excavations, Masonry, Brickwork, &c. 9,598 18 9 Bngines and Millwright Work 5,804 5 i Iron and Steel Work. .' 3,169 2 10 Carpentry and Joinery 2,707 2 10 Boilers, Economisers, and Gen'l Building. 2,421 o \\ Slating, Tiling, Plumbing, and Piping. . 2,332 16 5 Painting, Plastering, Architecture, &c. . 1,953 8 11^ Machinery 9.997 16 3 £37,984 II 3 " To those who are interested in cotton manufacturing, who are shareholders in weaving companies, or who may become actively interested in such undertakings, the figures will serve as useful comparisons, and at the same time prove that the representatives of the local co- operative society on the MiU Building Company have acted with economy in their first venture of this kind. " I/Ooked at in another aspect, the society has received as dividends on its 5,000 shares 4 per cent, in igo6, and 5 per cent, for each of the years 1907, 1908, and 1909. That, surely, should be highly satisfactory to the members. " The amount paid in wages is about £500 per week, which must have considerably enhanced the purchasing power of those who deal with the several branch shops of the society. " The mill which they have largely been instrumental in creating is rated at £828 gross and £663 rateable value, which means that £230 per annum is being paid to the local rates by the company. The figures show that the deduction from gross to rateable value is 20 per cent. In the district mentioned at the earlier part of this Primrose Street. — Grocery and Butchering. Abbey Street. — Confectionery, Taii,oring, and Outfitting. CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 125 article, the deduction is 25 per cent. In the assessment for Schedule A of income tax the deduction from the same gross value for rateable value is i6f per cent. These anomaUes in rating certainly ought to be dealt with by the Houses of Parliament." To Mr. Whittaker's contribution, it may be added that the society showed confidence in the scheme in many ways. Besides the £5,000 invested as shares, a resolution was accepted at the quarterly meeting in April, 1906, that £15,000 be advanced to the company on mortgage, the rate of interest to be left with the general committee. Returning to the ordinary events of the society, the minutes show that £100 was invested as loan capital in the North Wales Quarries I/imited. This was a co- operative venture at Bethesda. It was started with the object of providing employment for men who had been thrown idle by the famous dispute at I/ord Penrhsni's slate quarries, forming one of the most famous labour struggles in the history of industry. The new co- operative undertaking, however, has, up to the present, not been successful financially. Mr. George Hayhurst (now a director of the C.W.S.) was appointed on the directorate of the company. A feature of the year, however, with which the members of the society were deUghted, was the appointment of the president as a Justice of Peace for the borough. This honour was conferred upon Mr. John Riley. It was a pleasure, nevertheless, that was soon darkened with sorrow. At the August monthly meeting of the society, the members placed on record their high sense of appreciation of the compliment that had thus been paid to Mr. Riley. Hearty congratulations were conveyed to him. A few months after (in February, 1906) the members at the monthly meeting found it necessary to try to cheer the president by a letter of sympathy in his illness. A similar expression was forwarded to him from the monthly gathering in March. But alas ! the end was 126 CO-OPESATION IN ACCEINGTON. coming. At the quarterly assembly in the following month, the members had to deeply regret the president's resignation. The general committee were instructed to provide a suitable testimonial in recognition of Mr. Riley's long and strenuous efforts in the interests of the society. This consisted of a gold watch and chain, an illuminated address, a Queen Anne bureau in Spanish mahogany, in addition to a handsome portrait of himself. For the ensuing twelve months, Mr. George Hay hurst was elected to the presidential chair. During the year, Mr. Riley passed away, the date of his death being August 28th. He was interred in the grounds of Emmanuel Church, Oswald twistle. From the monthly meeting of September 3rd, a message of condolence was sent to the widow and family of " our late honoured and deeply regretted president (Mr. John Riley, J. P.) in their great sorrow and sad bereavement." Before the close of the year there was another death to record — that of Mr. Robert Wm. Ashton. He was the engineer at the Roden Convalescent Home, prior to which he was a member of the society's board of management. A few weeks after this, Mr. John T. Elmes died, he also having been a member of the board of management in former years. Since the beginning of the last decade of the society's history death had claimed some of its most prominent leaders. What might be done if men wore wise. — CharlES Mackay. CHAPTER XII. Proposed Co-operative Laundries Association — Purchase of Stanhili Estate — Description of the Estate — Closing; Years — Decision to Celebrate Jubilee — Improvements of Millinery and Drapery Establishment — Mr. Brownbill and Mr. Townsend Appointed J.P.'s — Death of Mr. John Lord — Stormy MeetinK — The Fifty Years Concluded. END OF THE FIFTH DECADE. IN October, 1905, the salary of the members of the educational committee was increased to 13s. each per quarter, and the chairman's to i8s. At the December quarterly meeting it was decided, " That we take up our proportionate share of the capital required in the Co-operative lyaundries Association, pro- viding that other societies in the district take up their proportionate share." This was a prelude to a great scheme, which has since provided an outlet for surplus capital of the society, amounting to about £25,000, in mortgages and share and loan investments. It led to a conference of North-East Lancashire co-operative societies at Great Harwood in the early part of 1906. A desire had been shown for the establishment of a co- operative laundry. The matter was introduced at the conference by Mr. George Hayhurst, who was then chairman of the Accrington Society. A sub-committee was appointed there and then to go into the question. Subsequently, a scheme was submitted to the boards of management of the Accrington and three other neighbouring societies. The next step taken was the election of a Joint I^aundry Board, on which Accrington was represented by Councillor Charnock, Mr. Wm. Holmes, and Mr. James Crawford. Mr. Geo. Hayhurst accepted the post of secretary. Unable to purchase any 128 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. existing laundry at a reasonable price, the board con- cluded that it would better serve their purpose if they acquired a site and erected a new laundry. After a series of inquiries, a suitable site, and one to be re- commended for its central position, was found at Oswaldtwistle. This was known as the West End Estate, and it was in the hands of the executors of the late Mr. Wm. Metcalf. On looking over the land, Mr. Hayhurst in particular was inspired with the idea of purchasing the whole of the estate, and he thus suggested a transaction that was much beyond the original in- tention of the board. The land had an excellent water supply, and being outside the jurisdiction of the Ac- crington and District Gas and Water Board, it was not subject to any of this body's statutory rules and regu- lations. The estate consisted of ninety-three acres, and it was purchased during the summer of 1906 for £10,000. It was considered an excellent bargain. Apart from the place being partictilarly appropriate for laundry purposes, it was estimated that a 4 per cent, interest on the outlay could be secured from the rents of farms, cottages, quarry and brick works on the estate. Besides the erec- tion of a laundry, the land was capable of development in other ways. There was no Crown rent attached to it, nor any conditions as to mining or other royalties. It was entirely freehold, being even without leases in respect to the tenants' occupation of it. It was described as the Stanhill Estate. Reference was made to the purchase by Mr. Hayhurst, at a conference of delegates of societies in the North- Western Section of the Co- operative Union. This was held in the Assembly Rooms, Oak Street, Accrington, on April 20th, 1907. He referred to the matter as a fine example of land investment. He calculated that in less than ten years, co-operators owning it would have got back the whole of the purchase money, and have the estate still in their possession. The cost was a little over £75 an acre. There were twenty houses and a shop on it worth about £3,000. That left the other £7,000 for the land, or, as he had said, a trifle over £75 an acre. In some I^ancashire CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. I29 towns as many as fifty cottages had been erected on an acre of land. Suppose on this estate twenty-four houses were built on an acre, giving to each dwelling the Uberal allowance of 200 square yards, and they charged for each plot a very low ground rent, say of 30s., or about ifd. a yard, they would thus have twenty-four houses on an acre, pajdng a ground rent of £36 yearly, returning 45 per cent, on the original outlay, if aU were covered. With twenty-four such houses to the acre, they would have a very fair type of garden city. It was a common thing for private persons to buy land for building purposes, and create chief rents out of it which brought in large incomes. Even in the co-opera- tive movement, during the last few years, many object lessons could be given where large works had been erected, and within a short period small towns had followed. What he had said showed the possibility — he might rather say the feasibility — of going a considerable distance towards a solution of the problem of housing the working classes through co-operative landowning. If they were able to do what he had indicated with a portion of the ninety-three acres on the Stanhill Estate, what might they not do with 993 acres ? The larger the estates the less competitive the market. He was confident that half-a-million sterUng could be profitably invested in the way he had outlined, and that very great direct and indirect advantages to the co-operative movement woxild accrue from it. In addition to the advantages named a large portion of the property is bounded by highroads, one of them being an electric car route. The laundry has been erected and has now been at work for some time. A large ring-spinning mill, costing £140,000, along with thirty- six houses, has also been built on part of it ; and other developments have been made. It may be added that the capital raised for the laundry and the purchase of the estate was £15,000. At the time negotiations were pro- ceeding in regard to the purchase, the board of manage- ment of the Accrington Co-operative Society were advised to secure the estate on their own responsibility. 130 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. They could not, however, see their way to provide more than two-fifths of the capital, viz. : — ^£6,000. There are still great possibilities in the development of the estate, especially with the exercise of thought and enterprise. There is the basis in it of a self-contained co-operative community, with its people living happily under a system of equity in all that concerns the necessities of life. It aiay be the nucleus of one of those seemingly far-off visions that the pioneers may sometimes have seen in their dreams of the coming day ! That, however, rests with the present and the coming generations. The Closing Years. Other matters of interest to the society in 1906 and 1907 may be summed up briefly. The practice of sending to the C.W.S. quarterly meeting a representative on behalf of the employes, and one specially on behalf of the members, was relinquished after the December quarterly meeting in 1906. The former method of sending delegates connected with the Conference Com- mittee only was restored. In January, 1907, the board received the right to invest £15,000 on approved security, other than on mortgages of cottage property. A grant of £40 was made towards the forthcoming Co- operative Congress at Preston. In July, a ready response was made to an appeal on behalf of the Accrington Victoria Hospital ; it was decided to contribute £500 to the extension fund, and £500 to the endowment fund. Both sums were taken from the reserve fund. I^ater on it was agreed to invest £500 (as £1 shares) in a Co-operative Landowning Company if such were formed, and if at least £20,000 was sub- scribed by other co-operative societies. £450 was invested with the Co-operative Sundries Manufacturing Society — £300 in share, and £150 loan capital. A de- cision was approved at the October quarterly gathering that the society contribute (in six yearly instalments) £115 2S. 6d. towards premises to be erected as the head- quarters of the Co-operative Union Ltd. This was on a basis of threepence per member, there then being CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON I3I 9,210 members on tlie books. An event in which the society's members were highly gratified in 1907, was the election of Mr. George Hayhurst as a director of the C.W.S. Mr. Hayhurst had won this distinction by real merit and worth — by his administrative skill, and his never-failing zeal and activity on behalf of co-operators. He was always inspired by the possibilities in the movement. The first business of the members at the October quarterly meeting was to congratulate him on the deserving promotion. At the time he was the president of the Accrington Society. He had held the position from April 2nd, 1906. Following him, Mr. George Brownbill became the choice of the members as their president. At first he was elected for six months on October 7th, 1907. As a working man, Mr. Brownbill has equalled some of those outstanding examples of high intelligence who have been active workers in the Accrington Society. Studious and widely-read, a careful thinker, a reader of human nature, and a man of practical ideas, he has still the con- fidence and admiration of the members. His name will go to posterity as the jubilee president of one of the most successful co-operative societies in the kingdom. In the years named, and in all years since the adoption of the Technical Instruction Act by the municipality, the society nobly maintained its custom of endowing scholarships. For instance, 271 were granted in 1908. In this year, too (in January), the salary of the secretary of the educational department was increased to £3 los. per quarter. The choir and choir committee were heartily congratulated on having won the first prize at the lyytham Musical Festival on Saturday, May 30th. At a special meeting on June ist, it was agreed to advance £25,000 on mortgage to the Ray Mills I/td., Stalybridge ; arrangements concerning interest and repayments were to be left entirely with the general committee. The proposal led to a spirited debate — one of the most interesting and searching in the recent history of the society. Twenty guineas were con- 132 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. tributed to the building fund of the Manchester Royal Infirmary. The conference of the North-East I ; 5'..-; .;' la 'li III 1: ; ")' "■'~''--Si^;> Abbey Street. — Drapery. CO-OPERAtlON IN ACCRINGTON. I33 Justices of the Peace for the borough. On August 3rd, the members assembled at the monthly meeting wished them every success in their new capacity. Mr. Townsend was a member of the board of management ; he also had a seat in the Town Council. Once again, the society was faced with distress amongst the members owing to industrial depression. A re- markable " slump " in the trade of the country occurred in 1908. The cotton industry in particular was seriously affected. For this year, the society's returns were lower than in the previous year. A special meeting was held on October 19th, to take into consideration the dis- tressed condition of some of the working classes, who had suffered serious reductions in earnings during the year. The committee were granted the power to dis- tributerelief among members inneed of food and clothing. For this purpose £500, if necessary, was to be taken from the reserve fund. The help came as a great blessing to many who were in want. At the last monthly meeting of the year, a resolution was heartily approved in which the general manager (Mr. Wm. Holmes) was most cordially complimented on having effected com- mendable improvements in the central drapery and millinery departments at a cost of £2,000. With skill and promptness the premises had been transformed into an up-to-date emporium equal with the best of its kind in the town. Eulogy was shown towards the manager by the ofiBcials and members. But Mr. Holmes was quite satisfied to let the performance of the work speak for itself. He had accomplished a dif&cult task in a most admirable manner ; but he never feared facing it, half so much as he feared facing the monthly gathering that met to sing of his merits. One of the most elaborate trading establishments of the society is Crofthouse, Blackburn Road, the new furnishing premises, opened on February 22nd. Spacious, light, artistic, and with every architectural advantage that could be given to such a place, the premises stand out as the best of their kind in the town and district. The opening ceremony was a memorable one, and was 134 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. graphically described by " G.B." in the March number of the Wheafsheaf. The shop stands on a plot of 1,480 square yards. Width of the front is 72 feet 5 inches ; depth in Oxford vStreet, 148 feet 3 inches ; size of each of the two principal rooms for furniture, 95 square feet ; main showroom 26 feet 8 inches deep, with a frontage of 54 feet. Besides furnishing there is a jeweller's shop on the ground floor, being 34 feet long by 15 feet wide. There are 540 electric lights. In every respect it is a model building for the purpose, and stands out as the brightest emporium in the town. The opening day was marked by many remarkable incidents, not the least being a procession of members in a gale of wind and rain. With Mr. Geo. Brownbill (president) and Mr. W. Holmes (manager), at the head of the procession, was Mr. D. M'Innes (of the C.W.S.). Following a speech from Mr. Joseph Booth, Mr. Townley (representing Mr. Thomley — architect) presented Mr. Brownbill with a silver key with which to open the main door of the premises. After performing this interesting function, the president delivered a stirring address on " Co-operative Ideals, and How they should be Cherished." Mr. M'Innes followed with a moving speech dealing with the need of a more equitable distribution of wealth, for which he was heartily thanked, on a motion moved by Mi. H. HeyTvorth and seconded by Councillor Chamock. It was one of the society's red-letter days — inspiring, and of a high order. Early in 1909 the society had two losses to mourn. One was that of the death of Mr. John Stott, the foreman of the ElUson Street grocery department ; the other was Mr. John Lord, J. P., who had been a director of the C.W.S., having retired in 1907, when Mr. George Hay- hurst was elected. Mr. Lord had been a member of the Accrington Society almost from the commencement. His personality marked him for early promotion. He was a member of the board of management for twenty- one years. He had a long association as a representative on the Central Board of the Co-operative Union. In 1882 he received the distinction of being promoted to CO-OPERATION IN ACCKINGTON. I35 the directorate of the C.W.S. In this capacity he visited nearly every important centre of Europe, and was once entrusted with a mission to the United States. He was able, courteous, and always zealous for co- operative welfare. He had held several important offices in the town of Accrington, for which he was a magistrate at the time of his lamented death. As the president of the society said, when a vote of condolence was passed at the quarterly meeting, on April 5th : " Though Mr. Lord received many marks of distinction, he was one whom honours never spoiled, and who bore himself with a simple, manly dignity indicative of genuine humihty of character allied with undeniable merit." One of the pioneers of the society passed away in 1909. This was Mr. Robert Greenwood, to whom reference is made on many occasions in the early part of this history. Mr. Greenwood died at his residence in Burnley. Throughout 1909, as in 1908, and also in 1910, the proceedings of the society were seriously affected by the dismal state of the cotton industry. Over-stocked warehouses, a superabundance of the means of supply over the demands of the world's markets, shortages in the cotton crop, with consequent rise in prices of raw material, manipulated by " bull " speculators^ con- siderably reduced the output in regard to textile goods. It has been estimated that operatives in the North and North-East Lancashire weaving towns have scarcely earned more than half of their usual wages, since the depression set in at the end of 1907. Up to April of 1909, the society had distributed £200 to needy members out of the £500 voted for this purpose in October of the previous year. The necessity of economy arose. £2,000 had been invested in the Stanhill Laundry on which there had been no return, besides having paid about ;f300 or £400 in dividend in respect to this venture. However, it was decided not to be represented officially at the Newcastle Co-operative Congress. The annual servants' treat was also abandoned. Concerning these two items, a similar course was taken in 1910. Neverthe- 136 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. less, the usijal day and evening scholarship proposals were sanctioned. £25 was granted from the reserve fund to the building fund of the Blackburn and East Lancashire Infirmary. The salary of the secretary of the conference committee was increased to 20s. per quarter. A new branch drapery and hosiery shop was opened in leister Street and Blackburn Road. An important matter was discussed at a special meeting held on July 5th, 1909. This was to consider the question of depreciation. It was resolved that the words at the rate of " 5 per cent." be deleted from Rule 16, and that " 2j per cent, be substituted." This referred to shop property, warehouses, workshops, and offices. In moving the recommendation, Mr. George Brownbill (the president) explained that for years the society had allowed a liberal rate of depreciation, in consequence of which there had been a correspondir^ reduction in the original values placed upon shop property. Before Croft House was built, and the ex- penditure incurred in the alterations of the Central drapery premises, the shop property account stood at a less amount than it did twelve years ago, although in the meantime the society had erected more than a dozen new grocery and butchers' shops. In other words, they had wiped out by depreciation over £17,000, or more than the cost of Croft House and the Abbey Street drapery premises combined. Mr. Garner seconded the presi- dent's motion. Among those who supported it were Mr. George Hayhurst and Mr. Holmes (general manager). An amendment, moved by Mr. Richard Wood, that the rate of depreciation be 3^ per cent., was defeated. Despite the discouraging state of the cotton and alUed industries, the enterprising policy of the board of man- agement and of the general manager, there was an increase in the year's trade of the society. Cash received for goods in 1907 was £313,100 is. 6Jd. In 1908 it fell to £310,698 17s. ojd. But in 1909 it rose to £318,427 4s. 7d. Meanwhile, membership had decreased from 9,242 to 9,194. A special and encouraging feature of the half-yearly balance sheet ending September 8th, CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. I37 indicated ^.n increment of £3,000 over the corresponding period of 1908. The motto of the board had been " Unfading hope." Here it was justified. And the optimism of the committee was strengthened by the fact that the greatest increase had arisen from the enter- prise that had been exercised in connection with the improvements associated with the drapery and millinery department to which reference has been made. Butchering receipts were increased by £381, and the new hosiery and outfitting branch in I/ister Street showed an average taking of £30 per week. All this encouraged the committee and pleased the members. Now we come to the present year of 1910. It was commenced by taking up 100 additional £1 shares in the British Cotton- Growing Association, now strongly appealing for a fulfilment of its registered capital of £500,000. The society's additional shares were payable by instalments of 4s. per share on application ; the balance was to be in four instalments, payable on March 31st of each year up to 1914. Day and evening scholar- ships at the Technical School for the session 1910-11 have been sanctioned. Arising out of a suggestion made at the special jubilee meeting on December 21st, 1909, it was resolved at the quarterly meeting, April 4th, that £25 be granted to the general board from the reserve fund, to provide sickroom appliances that may be lent to members in case of necessity. Curiously enough, as the fifty years' business career of the society had drawn to a close, rumours of dissent and dissatisfaction were spread among the members. Although the society was enrolled in July of i860, and the first branch shop was opened a few weeks later, the pioneers had been carrying on business and holding regular weekly meetings from March of that year. And it was curious, therefore, that the first quarterly meeting of the jubilee year, held on Monday, April 4th, should have been accentuated by stormy proceedings. This mainly arose out of the decision of the committee of management to reduce the dividend from 3s. to 2S. gd. in the pound. The unnecessary excitement 138 CO-OPERATION IN ACCKINGTON. about this change was fanned by the capitalistic Press — or at least by one section of it. But the flippancy had not the efiect that the writers might have anticipated. The meeting was one at which strong opinions were expressed. It is hardly possible, however, that the shareholders of a private concern would get so much concerned about the fall of threepence in the pound ; and it is to be deeply regretted that the working classes are yet not strong-minded enough to resist any attempt to undue excitement, when their business is affected by those inevitable fluctuations which come to all trading establishments. Fortunately, the movement has been guided by cool, level-headed men who have been able to save local co-operative organisa- tions from destruction at times when the action of less thoughtful and less experienced members have displayed more passion than judgment. It is necessary that this should be said here as a warning for the future. Think of the material of which the pioneers were made ; they frequently had to fight against the most discouraging circumstances, whilst they were too far-seeing and resolute to murmur at the drawbacks that impeded their progress for the time being. But who that has a knowledge of the conditions of industry during the past two or three years could have honestly expected co-operative societies in cotton- spinning and manufacturing areas to have passed through the period unscathed ? It is a grand testimony to managers and committees of management that the losses have not been much more serious than has been the case so far. Manipulators of raw material — over which the people have no control — ^have sent up the price of goods. In such circumstances, it may be impossible to avoid two unpleasant occurrences, viz. : (i) The raising of retail prices ; (2) and at the same time the lowering of dividends. Of course, criticism is good, and must be tolerated ; sound and useful criticism must be encouraged. The dangers that one has to fear are wild charges and misguided harangues based on rash conclusions and, betimes, malice. However, rumour CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. I39 and a lowering dividend had had their effect. The residt was that once more the rooms of the society were incapable of accommodating those who wished to attend the ordinary quarterly meeting. It had to be held in the Swedenborgian Sciool. About 1,400 members were present ; others were unable to obtain admittance owing to the crowded state of the gathering. The 3s. dividend appeared to have become a fixture ; and it is remarkable that it has been so when one considers the two periods of trade depression during the last decade of the society's existence. Nevertheless, this 15 per cent, dividend had been paid every quarter since 1896 — a period of 13I years. Naturally, this being the jubilee year of the society, the committee of management had been very anxious to pay the usual dividend of 3s. ; but with the adverse forces against them — very bad trade and the " bull " influences over raw material, and greatly reduced earnings of the working classes — that was impossible unless they had taken the foolish course of achieving their purpose by endangering the future welfare of the society. The president and the manager were, happily, able to allay the excitement that had been created, and the members perceived the wisdom of accepting the conditions quietly and loyally. Confidence was shown in the president by his re-election to the position, in which he had always conducted himself with zeal and ability. Rather unusual interest was shown in the election of three members for the board of management. The retiring ones were Messrs. Henry Heyworth, John Hargreaves, and ElUs Clegg. The first two named were re-elected, whilst Mr. Qegg was displaced by Councillor Crawford. However, attempts to injure the jubilee celebrations were overpowered. It had been assumed, for instance, that the fall in dividend was due to the estimated cost of the forth- coming jubilee events, and the granting of donations to worthy institutions. But as these various sums of money, amounting to £1,185, were to be drawn from the reserve fund, the dividend was not in the least affected by the expenditure. Besides, the amount to be 140 CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. allotted for this purpose had been sanctioned at a special meeting held on December 21st, 1909. These items are tabulated elsewhere. There was not much to record in the members' monthly meetings of May and June. The quarterly meeting of July 4th may be regarded as the last one of the fifty years reviewed in this history. Mr. A. T. Townsend, J.P., resigned from the committee of management through a change in his occupation, and Mr. Ellis Clegg was appointed for the ensuing three months. Messrs. George Gastall, Wm. A. I^ambert, James Heaton, and Samuel Cottam (Accrington), and Charles Slater (Church District) were elected members of the education committee for the next twelve months. Messrs. Albert Ball, David Dear- den, John Hitchon, R. Wood, W. R. Garner, and Ambrose lyord were, along with the representatives of the general board, elected members of the conference committee for twelve months. At the two quarterly meetings of April and July, £45 was granted to charitable institu- tions, thus maintaining the spirit of philanthropy which had been one of the most ennobling features of the society's work for the last half-century. The following table gives a statistical view of the society's growth in the last decade of the fifty years : — Profits ana Allowed No. of Share Becelved latereijt lor Educa- Year. Members. Capital. for Qooda. Bealised. Dividend. tion. £ £ £ £ £ 1901 . . . 7.8S7 ■ . 202,845 . . 260,466 . . 47.488 . . 38,266 , ■■ 593' 1902 , .. 8,233 . . 208,573 • . 272,305 .. 49.159 • . 40,022 . , . 621 1903 . . 8,709 . . 215,449 . . 277,480 • • 49.179 . . 40,817 . .613 1904 .. 9.179 . . 226,729 . • 279.235 .. 51.521 . . 42,780 . . 631 1 90s . . . 9,611 . . 242,431 . . 291,102 • . 53.774 . • 44.525 . .667 1906 . . 9,210 . • 257.409 • . 300.758 .. 55.4" • . 45.480 . ,. 682 1907 . . . 9.242 • . 269,150 . . 313,100 , , . 57,924 . ■ 47.519 . . 712 1908 . . . 9.224 • . 272,459 . . 310,698 . . 57.786 . . 46.998 . ,. 704 1909 .. 9.194 • . 269,317 . . 318.427 . , . 59.061 . . 48.319 • . . 708 For the sake of clearness, each decade has been ended on the last day of December of the year concerned. This does not square exactly with the actual history of the society. It was registered on July 23rd, i860, and to have conformed with the historical sequence of events, Croft House. — Furnisfiinc. Croft House. — Furnishing. CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. 141 each year and each decade should have terminated with the conclusion of July. This course, however, has not been pxursued by the society in measuiing its progress from year to year, neither has it been done in this volume. Without further explanation, the reason should be obvious. The history, so far as those things associated with the board of management are concerned, must be now drawn to a close. Other features are dealt with in chapters that follow. It will have been perceived how great were the obstacles at the beginning, and how sturdy the men who overcame them. It will be seen how great has been the achievement of the fifty years. Most of all one hopes that it will be felt how great is the heritage that has been left for the present generation of workers ! This story of the past may help us, either perfectly or imperfectly, to measure the value of the work done by co-operators of Accrington in the general scheme of the progress of democracy and justice. Its influence for the good, however, is imdeniable. That being so, it leaves us with an abiding sense of satisfaction of what has been accom- plished, whilst it imbues us with feelings of inspiration towards greater deeds. And what we should be most concerned about at present is our sacred care over what has been bequeathed to us, and our determination and honesty of purpose regarding the years to come. With faith and work and unity, the future is with the working classes through the aid of co-operation. At any rate, those who have laboured in the past fifty years have favoured us with a solid foundation. Shall we prove ourselves to be master builders ? PROGRESS OF FIFTY YEARS : A STATISTICAL VIEW. Profits and Allowed No. of Share Eeceived Interest for Educa- Tear. Members. Capital. for Goods. Realised. Dividend. tion. £ £ £ £ £ i860 . . 263 . . 1,044 . 2,;o8, 161 . 141 . — 1861 . . 488 . . 2.633 . • 12.193 911 - 760 . — 1862 . • 713 .. 3.427 • . 15.483 • • 1.357 • • 1.137 . — T863 . . 1,143 .. 5.457 • . 20,923 . 2,152 . . 1,828 . 17 1864 . . 1,489 . . 6,210 . . 28,698 . ■ 2,998 . . 2,520 ■ 50 142 CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. Profits and Allowed No. of Share Reoeivea Interest for Ednca- Tear. Members Capital. lor Goods. Bealised. Divideud. tion. £ £ £ £ £ 1865 . 1,452 ■ • 7.467 • • 32.495 • . 3,404 . . 2,886 . • 52 1866 . I.S52 •• 9.334 .. 40,204 . . 3.960 . . 3.330 . ■ 52 1867 . . 1,643 ■ • 12,668 .. 50,798 . • 5,157 ■■ 4.325 . . 84 1868 . . 1,986 . 17,551 • 70,220 . • 7.725 •• 6,658 . . 105 1869 . . 2,097 • 22,056 . 76,199 . . 8,107 •• 6.755 • • 117 1870 . • 2,355 • 26,639 . 84,843 • • 9,303 • • 7,629 . . 122 1871 . . 2,520 . 32,556 . 104,910 . . 11,205 ■ • 9.104 . . 146 1872 . . 2,882 . 40,775 • 128,303 . . 14,325 ■• 11,723 • . 188 1873 • ■ 3,159 • 47,306 . 142,594 . ■ 16,493 • 13,342 . . 215 1874 . ■ 3.543 • 56,260 . 155.319 . . 19,001 . 15.358 . ■ 247 1875 . . 3,899 . 63,982 . 161,864 . . 20,309 . 16,017 • . 261 1876 . • 4,274 . 72,623 . 176,841 . . 22,899 • 17.878 . • 293 1877 . • 4,423 • 76,471 • 187,947 • 24,572 . 18.848 . • 314 1878 . • 4-473 . 73.695 • 169,360 . 21,936 . 16,261 . • 274 1879 . ■ 4.299 ■ 69,908 . 146,265 . 20,202 . 14,801 . . 282 1880 . • 4.387 • 74.654 • 157.287 . 20,488 . 15.683 . . 240 1881 . . 4,587 • 82,723 . 170,967 . 23,120 . 17,859 ■ • 274 1882 . . 4,872 . . 90,674 . . 180,663 . 26,625 . . 20,907 . . 321 1883 . ■ 5,409 • 99.705 ■ • 199.990 . 30,103 . . 23,810 . . 366 1884 . • 5.953 ■ 110,820 . 200,608 • 31.034 ■ 25,030 . ■ 389 1885 . . 6,232 . 122,230 . 208,307 . 34,400 . . 27.961 ■ 431 1886 . . 6,309 . 132,742 . 209,291 ■ 35,633 . . 28,914 . • 443 1887 . . 6,402 . 141,403-. 211,226 • 35,325 . . 28,054 • 431 1888 . . 6,636 . 149,607 . 214,727 • 37,271 ■ . 29,580 . 454 1889 . . 6,865 . 159.590 . 209,776 • 37.143 • . 28,687 ■ 439 1890 . . 6,662 . 157,578 . 199,550 . 34,261 . ■ 23,509 . 401 1891 . ■ 6,894 . 154,667 . 206,140 . • 35,315 • 23,917 • 437 1892 . . 6,699 ■ 158,372 . • 207,945 • 35.769 . . 24,400 • 437 1893 • . 6,848 . 160,410 . • 199.141 • 34.776 . • 27,450 . 419 1894 . . 6,865 • 168,755 . . 211,497 . 36,924 . . 29,212 . 448 1895 . . 7,226 . 177,971 . 217,537 . 38,224 . • 30,05 s • 463 1896 . ■ 7.444 • 185,236 . . 229,484 . 41,101 . • 32,364 • 504 1897 ■ . 7.263 . 186,707 . • 236,103 • 43,379 • • 34,144 . 535 1898 . ■ 7.394 • 186,663 . . 228,289 . 40,963 ■ • 32,930 ■ 496 1899 . • 7.551 . 193,948 . 227,841 . 40,689 . • 33.263 . 526 1900 . . 7.918 . . 201,791 . 252,278 • 47,194 ■ . 36,878 • 5;;2 1901 . . 7.857 • . 202,845 • 260,466 . 47,488 . . 38,266 ■ 593 1902 . . 8,233 . . 208,573 ■ . 272,305 • 49.159 ■ . 40,022 . 621 1903 . . 8,709 . • 215,449 • . 277,480 ■ 49,179 • . 40,817 . 613 1904 . ■ 9.179 • . 226,729 . • 279,235 . 51.521 . . 42,780 .631 1905 . . 9,611 . . 242,431 . . 291,102 • 53.774 ■ • 44.525 . 667 1906 . . 9,210 . • 257,409 . . 300,758 ■ 55.411 . . 45,480 . 682 1907 . . 9.242 . . 269,150 . . 313,100 • 57.924 • • 47.519 • 712 1908 . . 9,224 . • 272,459 . . 310,698 . 57.786 . . 46,998 . 704 1909 . . 9,194 • . 269,317 . . 318,427 . S9.o6i . ■ 48,319 . 708 1910*. . 9.104 • 263,558 . 304,026 . • 53.709 . 43.141 ■ 647 * Nine me mths' returns only. A true scholar never ceases to learn. — HogarTh. CHAPTER Xlll. An Illustrious Record — Expenditure on Education — First Educational Committee — Newsrooms and Libraries — Scholarships — List of Past Students — Testimonies and Reminiscences of Successful Men. EDUCATIONAL WORK: ELOQUENT TRIBUTES. ONE of the grandest features of the society's progress has been its educational work. It is doubtfvil whether any society in the kingdom can claim such an illustrious record. Reference is made to its activities and achievements in this respect in various parts of this history. It was originally intended to have given a historical survey of the matter in a chapter specially devoted to this subject. But the work of the educational department has been so much a part and parcel of the career of the society that records of it had to be placed side by side with the general advancement in all departments. Readers need be only reminded here that the co-operative society appropriated time and money to education when local students had little opportunity elsewhere. Allusion is made to this in earlier pages of this volume. Those of us can best appreciate these educational provisions who were unable, in consequence of our scanty means, to acquire knowledge at other institutions where classes and accessories were much dearer. In Accrington, in particular, it is impossible to measure the influence which the co-operative educational arrangements have had upon those who took advantage of them. Below we give one or two personal testimonies from men who started their successful careers in the realms of know- ledge at the co-operative classes in Accrington. These 144 CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. speak for themselves ; they are eloquent and human documents. We have added to them a list of students who have performed creditable services in industrial, scientific, and scholastic walks of life. One must add to all this other considerations ; that is, the work and character of citizens labouring in other fields of useful- ness, who may trace the beginning of their better career to the co-operative classes, where they were first helped in their ambition to become more refined and more efficient workmen and citizens. In roimd figures, about £19,000 has been spent by the society — or through the educational committee alone. This does not include the cost of buildings, &c. As ■pointed out, in the begiiming of this history, the first grant made for educational purposes was in September, 1863, the amount being £7 17s. 8Jd. The yearly grant now exceeds £700. The first newsroom was opened in July, 1864. The circulating library was opened in January, 1866. The first newsroom at Church com- menced in April, 1867, the library being opened soon afterwards. Evening elementary classes were first begun in 1869. Since then the good work has gone on continuously, increasing with the growing strength of the society. Names of the educational committee were first printed on the June balance sheet in 1868. They were Messrs. John Duxbury, Benjamin Bowker, James Sutcliffe, Rodger Smith, John M'Kernan, Thomas Dobson, Henry Hargreaves, Joseph Hodgson, John Tomlinson, and John B. Carr. The first newsroom was opened in a room on the third storey in Oak Street. This was over what was formerly the drapery department. Subsequently a removal was made to Barnes Street. Some time after the newsroom was brought back to Oak Street — to a house previously occupied by Dr. Clayton ; this site is still used as the central newsroom, library, &c. Besides the central news- room, the society to-day has the following : Church, 1867 ; Tinker, 1871 ; Brown Street, 1876 ; Nuttall Street, 1882 ; Antley, 1883 ; Water Street, 1887 ; Huncoat, 1887. CO-OPERATION IN ACCKINGTON. I45 There are two lending libraries, also two reference libraries. In the library at Accrington (Oak Street) there are 5,300 volumes, and 2,200 at Church. This year — which has been typical of previous years in this respect — twenty-one day scholarships have been granted, tenable at the Municipal Technical School, at a cost of £3 7s. 6d., each being equal to the fee of the student. Of these, twelve are open for competition among members' children attending elementary day schools ; the re- maining nine are given as renewals for the second and third year attendance, and are open to all members' children. In addition to this, 500 evening scholarships have been given, these being restricted to one in a family, and each being valued at 4s. ; they are tenable at continuation, art, science, and technological institutions at Accrington, Church, and Oswaldtwistle. The twelve day scholarships can be retained only on the following conditions : — (i) The candidates must be at least twelve years old on August ist, 1909 ; (2) The candidates must satisfy the Examiner in Arithmetic, viz.: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division ; These four rules as appUed to money ; these four rules as applied to long, square, and cubic measure, time, capacity, and weight ; simple practice ; bills and invoices ; simple proportion (both methods) ; vulgar and decimal fractions (excluding circulators) ; simple interest ; mensuration of rectangular surfaces and solids ; problems on papering, painting, paving work, and pipes. (3) Grammar, viz : questions on the function and inflection of the parts of speech ; correction of ungram- matical sentences, and explanation of such correction ; explanation of difference in the meanings of simple words of like sound, for example — fair and fare ; horde and hoard ; analysis of sentences (no parsing of words) ; for- mation of sentences containing prescribed words used as certain parts of speech. (4) Holders must attend regularly and punctually, be diligent, and of good conduct. However, as much as one would like to dwell on the educational activities of the society, we have only space now to insert appreciations from old students who have won honours in science and art and literature. For a portion of the reminiscences we are indebted to Mr. 146 CO-OPERATION IN ACCMNGTON. Walton Haworth, who was secretary of the educational department of the society for many years. He was also organising secretary of science and art classes in Accring- ton — giving in all about twenty-six years' service. He is still deeply interested in the educational side of the co-operative movement. Naturally, also, he is proud of the long list of students who have gone from the co-operative classrooms to win distinctions in other places. Among many such pupils the following deserve prominence — and we give their names here as an encouragement to others and as some testimony, at least, of the worthiness of the society's educational considerations : — ^ Thos. WmTTAKER is the son of James Whittaker, civil engineer, formerly of Avenue Parade. He is a B.A. ( Oxon), and has been entitled for many years to M.A. Stands out prominent not only as an Accringtonian, but as a present-day writer on philosophy and psychology with a wide reputation. At co-operative classes he won Watts Exhibition, 1875, £10 per annum for three years ; also Royal Exhibition, 1875, £50 per annum for three years, at Royal College of Science, Dublin, and several special prizes Lan- cashire and Cheshire Union of Institutes. After two years at DubUn, he won a scholarship of £80 a year for five years. The following is a list of his published works : — 1895. — " Essays and Notices, Philosophical and Psychological, since 1881 " (T. Fisher Unwin) ; 1901, " Neo Platonists" (Cambridge Univ. Press); 1904, " Origins of Christianity" (Watts and Co.) ; 1906, " Ap- polonius of Tyana and Other Essays " (Swan Sonnen- schien and Co.) ; 1907, " The Iviberal State : A Specula- tion" (Watts and Co.); 1908, " Comte and Mill" (Philosophies Series, A. Constable and Co.) ; 1908, " Schopenhauer " (Philosophies Series, A. Constable and Co.); 1909, " Origins of Christianity" Second Edition (Watts and Co.) ; with other works in contemplation. Hugh Singi,eton. — ^Now a Baptist minister. Thos. Whittaker. — Son of Alderman Thomas CO-OPERATION IN ACCRINGTON. I47 Whittaker, and brother of C. J. Whittaker. For many years a teacher of chemistry, organic and inorganic. Richard Diggle. — ^Teacher of art, and now nuisance inspector for the Corporation ; the writer of a letter on the art classes. James Taskee. — A leading man at Howard and Btdlough's. Henry K. Gii,i,. — ^Managing director of Steiner and Co. I,td. Chas. W. Duckworth, F.C.I.S. — ^I,eading chemist, &c., &c., at a chemical works, Clayton, Manchester, and writer of letter on the early history of the classes. Wm. J. Clayton. — Chief chemist for. the United Indigo and Chemical Co. I^td. Chas. S. Haywood. — ^Town Councillor and local architect. James Haworth. — Designer for Harrod's Stores, and Blundell, Maple Ltd. Ebenezer Hanson. — A local artist. James B. Whittaker. — Schoolmaster, Burnley. AtDERMAN Dr. T. E. Nuttai,i<. — ^Mayor of the town. Medical Inspector of Factories. W. E. Duckworth. — With Howard and Bullough's, teacher of class in cotton-spinning. John S. Higham, M.P. for the Sowerby Division of Yorkshire, and ex-Mayor of Accrington. J. W. Westweli,.— Schoolmaster in South of England. F. W. Boi,iTHO. — Winner of local exhibition, taken at the Royal College of Science, South Kensington. Teacher of Science Classes. Present secretary of the education department, and also secretary of the History and Jubilee Committee. John Boothman. — Chemist of the Accrington and Church Outfall Sewage Works. Herbert Ashworth. — ^Teacher of woodworking, and assistant science teacher. Henry H. Cormack. — Schoolmaster. Wii,UAM FiCKXTP. — Managing director, CoUiery Co., Rishton. Sharples Taylor. — Chemist, calico print works. 148 CO-OPERATION IN ACCEINGTON. Wm. Parkinson. — Art master. Joseph Cronshaw. — Art master. Joseph Barnes. — Calico printer's designer. Hargreaves Rii a^d ^^ 1861, a year after the commencement of the co-operative society, it had increased to 17,688 — an increase at the rate of 70-5 per cent., the highest per- centage of the century ; the number of houses was 3,404. Rateable value for the same period grew from £24,829 to £35,782. But for the first years of the century, working-class life was punctuated by many dramatic incidents. In addition to those already given, poverty and oppression were their lot in 1829. Distress again goaded them into fighting that which they thought INDUSTRIAI, ACCEINGTON. 203 oppressed them. But they fought against machinery, instead of waging persistent war against the system of economics, custom, and legislation that held them in bondage. However, in 1829, ^ wave of depression distorted their feelings once more, and to swell their ravings — ravings arising out of the sheer necessity of food — a detachment of infantry was stationed at Accring- ton, the old workhouse having been turned into a barracks ; there woxild have been less necessity for either, if there had been a greater display of justice and equity in the things of life. Nevertheless, the development of the town continued. Power-loom mills were increased. Churches and chapels were erected year after year, and with them the Hasling- den Union was formed in 1837. Private enterprise took the place of public ownership. In 1841, the Accrington Gas and Water Company was formed ; and it was in that year that the township was first lighted by gas. The working classes of Accrington, as elsewhere, had suffered most of tha results of the inequalities and inefficient administration of the Factory Acts. The housing conditions were not much to boast of. In 1846, " a working man would have been looked upon as an aristocrat if he possessed a house of his own." This pregnant phrase was written by a co-operator of the town in his recollections of the time. The meaning of it will be best understood by those who are acquainted with living accommodation in I^ancashire at that period, as indicated by Engels in his " Housing Conditions of the Working Classes in 1844." The Chartists were busy in North-East Lancashire. In 1842, a great demon- stration of these far-seeing democrats was held on Whinney Hill. The plug-drawing riots affected the neighbourhood. These were connected with the bread riots of the early forties. Bread was dear, and the people could not buy it ; they had to resort to meal and water ; so they protested and went about Drawing '^he Plugs of steam boilers, to let oft the water at the mills and 204 INDUSTRIAL ACCRINGTON. bring the machinery to a standstill. They still thought that machinery was responsible for all the ills and knocks they had to bear ; but the wrongs they sufiered were due, no doubt, to the monopoly exercised over machinery. In a real co-operative state of industry, the thing they cursed would have been their greatest blessing. Another expedient to which they resorted was that of " shuttle-gathering." They were evidently getting less violent ; they conceived the idea of gathering shuttles from looms to save the machiaery ; as these could not be replaced by the owners for several weeks, business had to be suspended. Yes, they were getting less violent. They were moving towards the more peaceful methods of collective bargaining. By the time that the Cotton Panic had come in the early sixties, they were prepared to bear their tears and privation with a patience and heroism that form one of the most impressive features of the history of the Ivancashire worlang classes. Chapels continued to be erected. The Mechanics' Institution was opened in 1845. A railway service commenced to Blackburn in 1848 ; that was on June 19th, and on August 17th of the same year, the railway service to Manchester was inaugurated. In 1850, there was an agitation against the Church rate, and a Govern- ment inquiry concerning the adoption of the Public Health Act (probably the Act of 1848) ; also a public meeting to decide the erection of a monument to Sir Robert Peel. The commencement of an important industry took place in 1853 ; when Messrs. Howard and Bleakley (afterwards Howard and Bullough) began to build their first works for the making of textile machinery. An event closely associated with the aspirations of many working men was the formation of the Accrington Naturalists' Society on July 22nd, 1855 — there having been a Botanical Society before this (established iu 1847). The men who were interested in this society opened a museum in 1855 or 1856 in Abbey Street. The earliest meetings were usually conducted in the dialect. Mr. Robert Wiggles- INDUSTRIAI, ACCKINGTON 203 worth, curator of Oak Hill Museum, has rendered great service to this Institution ; he is a member of the co-operative society. Other prominent local naturalists Associated with Co-operation were Jesse Holman, J.P., an expert on local mosses ; Henry Miller, whose speciality was ornithology ; and A. Ball, who devoted much of his time to geology. Still, of more importance to the working classes, was the formation, in 1858, of the North-East Lancashire Weavers' Association, now bearing the title of Accring- ton Weavers' Association. This was first begun at a meeting held in the Bay Horse Assembly Rooms, Accrington. Mr. Robert Greenwood and Mr. James Parkinson, pioneers of the co-operative movement in the town, were also pioneers of the trade union organisa- tion. At the jubilee ceremonies of the association in September, 1908, Mr. Parkinson (who had been a col- lector for forty-two years) was made the recipient of suitable gifts for his long and faithful services. In 1887 the Accrington branch of the association became a separate organisation, and joined in the same year the Northern Counties Weavers' Amalgamation, which had been formed about three years before. Mr. D. J. Shackleton, M.P., who had removed to Accrington with his parents when he was a boy, was an active member of the association during the eighties, and became its president in 1890, when he was only twenty- seven years of age. Coming to the year 1859, ^^ S^* the amalgamation of the East Lancashire and Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Companies. Then in i860 came the establish- ment of the co-operative society, principally pioneered by those who had been successful in the formation of the Weavers' Association, which has now 4,500 members. At this time changes were quickly taking place in Accrington — the old giving place to the new. The August Fair was a lively proceeding. Pigs, sheep, cattle, and horses were sold in Abbey Street, and there was invariably a display of stalls 206 INDUSTRIAL ACCEINGTON. of toffee, gingerbread, and nuts, with the usual para- phenalia of A IvANCASHIRE ToWN FaIR in the middle of the nineteenth century. In 1861 Accrington had a population of 17,688, which was an increase of 70 "5 per cent, over the figures of the previous ten years ; it had 3,404 houses, and a rateable value of £35,782. Since then the growth of the town heis been continuous. Events relating to industrial disputes are referred to in the chapters in this volume describing the progress of the co-operative society. After a long agitation, Easter Dues were abolished in 1861. Then came the terrible Cotton Famine. The first interment took place in Accrington Cemetery in 1864. The Peel Institution was purchased by the I,ocal Board in 1865. On May i6th, 1868, the corner stone of the Market was laid by Mr. S. Dugdale. The new building was opened in the following year. The erection of the PoUce Station took place in 1870. Accrington became a Petty Sessional Division in 1873, and was promoted to the dignity of a borough five years afterwards. In 1880, the Milnshaw Gardens were opened, and the Borough PoUce Force established. Tramways commenced in 1886, and Oak Hill Park opened in 1893 Howard and Bullough lytd. was turned into a public company, with capital of £1,000,000 in 1894, whilst F. Steiner and Co. was floated three years later, the share capital being £1,350,000. On February 22nd, 1898, the Cottage Hospital, which had cost £8,000, was opened. On New Year's Day, 1895, the Gas and Water Company's property was taken over by the municipality, and on March 4th, 1901, the municipal electricity works commenced. The inauguration of the new electric tram service from Accrington to Oswald- twistle took place on August 2nd, 1907, and on August 24th, of the same year, the town was favoured with the gift of Peel Park from the Peel Family. The above dates and events, of course, merely in- dicate the development of Accrington as a town of INDUSTEIAI, ACCRINGTON. 207 increasing importance. What is the place like to-day ? Houses, factories, and institutions of various kinds now occupy space where local naturalists used to pursue their delightful studies in the fifties of last century. Flower gardens have had to be gradually given up to streets and industrial hives. Naturalists tell us that there are not now many full-grown trees about Accring- ton. When the Naturalists' Society held its first meetings in Britannia Inn, Nuttall Street— then " Coal Pit I,ane " — ^they were plentiful on the Peel estate. But the Fi,oEA OF THE District is still rich, in spite of the gradual disappearance of wild flowers through the manufacturing impurities that have poisoned both air and water. To-day, Accrington's population may be estimated at 47,000 ; its rateable value is £192,326. It has nearly 600 streets, roads, lanes, terraces, courts, and alleys. It has seven ecclesiastical districts and about thirty places of worship, four being devoted to spiritualism. Catering for civic, political, social, philanthropic and other needs of the citizens are seventy-nine pubUc ofiices. To administer justice are thirty-eight Borough Magistrates, including two members of the co-operative society ; there are nineteen county magistrates. The town has eight aldermen and twenty-four councillors, representing eight wards. The municipal technical school, which was opened on August 28th, 1895, usually has from 1,200 to 1,500 students in addition to about 650 scholars attending evening continuation schools. In 1907 there were seventeen elementary schools under the Accrington authority, with an average attendance of 7,000 children ; of this number there were 551 half- timers. During the past half-century, Accrington has developed rapidly, there having been eighty public bmldings erected in about thirty-four years. By far the greater part of the population still depend upon the textile industry for a livelihood. In the borough and district (including Baxenden, Church, Clayton-le-Moors, Huncoat, and Oswaldtwistle) there 208 INDUSTRIAI, ACCEINGTON. are sixty-one cotton mill firms, owning 36,100 looms and 649,672 spindles. In Accrington itself there are about 15,500 looms, of which 4,600 have been put in new mills since 1900. There are three firms of calico printers in the borough. In Church, there are thirteen cotton spinning and manufacturing concerns, having 4,991 looms and 8,500 spindles ; there is also a firm of bleachers Baxenden possesses one firm of bleachers and calico printers, one of dyers, and two mills engaged in spinning and weaving, there being about 30,000 spindles and about 1,400 looms. Added to these textile estabhshments in Accrington and district are a number of engineering factories devoted to the manu- facture and construction of textile machinery and loom accessories. Messrs. Howard and Bullough (textile machinists) alone employ about 5,000 persons. The magnitude of Messrs. F. Steiner and Co., calico printers, may be measured by the fact that this firm and that of the CaUco Printers' Association, practically monopolise the calico printing industry. Steiners' works employ 2,000 persons. In 1901, there were 8,300 cotton opera- tives in Accrington and district, there being at present about 10,000. Hence the importance of this industry to the welfare of the people. Anyhow, it is by the spinning' and manufacturing of cotton, and processes allied thereto — along with the making of the necessary machinery — upon which the co-operative movement of the town and surroimdings mainly depends. The co-operative society has not been by any means the least of the great undertakings that have helped to change the aspect of the town. To what extent it has played its effective part may be seen from the pages of its history. Citizens may also learn from this volume to what an extent the society has rendered financial aid to industrial development, apart from its never- ending influence in having increased the sobriety, inteUigence, dignity, and reUability of the working classes. This, no doubt, has made them into a greater asset to the industrial activities and social endeavours with which the town now vibrates Co-operative NEW£#APeR Society Ld. Manchester