and the opposition the society has had to contend against at Tyldesley, steady progress has been made all along.

The society has had a stalwart champion at Tyldesley in Mr. Thomas Ainscough, who has been a member of the society for thirty-six years, and has served on the general committee for a period of twenty-two years, and also for four years on the educational committee.

In this year (1866) the society had still a large amount of unemployed capital, and the committee began to turn their attention to the question of entering into the cotton manufacturing business. In a later chapter will be found a condensed account of the society's experiences in this direction.

During the summer of this year (1866) there appears to have been very frequent complaints about the quality of the bread.

The miller said it was the fault of the baker, and the baker said it was the fault of the miller, and between the two the committee were very much troubled. Resolutions were passed condemning first one and then the other.

One resolution of the committee states "that in the opinion of this Committee the irregularity of the flour is the cause of the bad bread, and that the miller be ordered to set it right at once."

A determined effort was, however, made to get to the bottom of the matter, and a special committee of five members was appointed to thoroughly investigate the matter, and the following is their report :

"In accordance with a Resolution passed at the last General Meeting of members, we have made inquiries at all the bakehouses of the Society and examined all the servants of the Society that have to do with the making of Bread. We found the Bakehouse in Ellesmere-street in a dirty slovenly state, particularly a Dashin or mixing trough which they (the Bakers) say is only used once or twice a week, and which smelled so sour that we recommended its removal at once. We think if you could induce Mr.

Hill (the Secretary) to superintend the baking Dept. with full power and control over it, and have all the Dashins or mixing troughs steamed and scalded, at least once a week, it would be a great improvement.

"With regard to the flour, the statements are so conflicting that we are not in a position to say much at present. The Bakers do not find any fault with it, but many of the customers do, but we hope ere long to be able to furnish you with a fuller report.

Hoping you will give this your calm consideration and attention,

I We remain Your obedient servants

On this report it was clearly, in sporting terms, a drawn game between the miller and the baker.

As the "fuller report" promised is not recorded, it is to be presumed that an improvement took place. The special committee were paid 15s. each for their

services.

About this time it would appear that the committee were evidently showing signs of want of confidence in their own administrative ability, and at the same time of their unbounded confidence in the ability of the secretary, for we find the following striking resolution recorded:

"That this meeting vests Wm. Hill the Secretary with authority to superintend the entire business of the Company at Leigh in the absence of the Manager, and also he in conjunction with the Manager to have unqualified authority to correct any and every irregularity without appeal to this Committee, during our term. They only to be amenable to the Committee."

On October 22nd, 1866, the committee took upon themselves to elect five members on the Pennington Local Board, for the resolution says "That Mr. Wm. Boardman, Richd. Greenough, Adam Hindley, Joseph Limon and Rowland Hall be elected members of the Pennington Local Board." Of course what was meant was that they intended to vote for these gentlemen.

FIRST SUBSCRIPTION TO CONGRESS; CURIOSITY IN COTTAGE BUILDING; FIRST SEPARATE BUTCHER'S SHOP; TABLE SHOWING PROGRESS FOR FIRST TEN YEARS; ROBERT LEATHER, PRESIDENT; ADAM SMITH (FIRST MANAGER) RETIRES; WM. DICKINSON APPOINTED MANAGER; VALENTINE FARRINGTON APPOINTED CORN MILL MANAGER; DIVIDEND AT 4D. IN THE SPECIAL VALUATION OF SOCIETY'S PROPERTIES.

AT

T the general meeting of members, held on January 14th, 1867, the following resolution was passed :"That d. per member be paid to the conference committee towards carrying out the objects of the meeting of the conference to be held on Good Friday, the 19th April next, and that the committee be recommended to send a deputy to that meeting." This was the first Annual Co-operative Congress at which our society was represented, and the first payment to the Co-operative Union.

A curiosity in the way of cottage building was decided upon by the committee, which was that 5 cottages be built on the vacant land at Newton." It does not state whether the half is to be measured vertically or

horizontally. One has sometimes heard of butchers killing half a cow, which might conceivably be useful, but cannot understand what use could be made of half a house.

Another resolution was "That the committee approve of the midsummer holiday being held in Whitweek." With all their wisdom, however, the committee could not manage to control the seasons-they could not bring midsummer to Whitsuntide.

The society's butchering business had up to this time been carried on in connection with the grocery and provision shop, and there does not appear to have been any record kept as to what profit was made from the business. The requisite alterations were made in the unoccupied portion at the rear of the Bradshawgate premises, and a separate butcher's shop was made, with a frontage to Albion-street, and from this time the butchering business was kept as a separate department.

At the annual meeting on January 13th, 1868, the Rev. Thos. Mills was elected an arbitrator in place of John Fairclough, deceased.

A curious request seems to have been sent to the committee by one of the tenants at Newton, for a resolution states "That it is inexpedient for the society to repair the looking glass damaged by the late storm in one of the Newton cottages."

There is also an interesting resolution at this time, inasmuch as it is one of the only two cases in the history of the society; it states-"That Thomas Smith's application to be admitted a member be rejected." Thos. Smith, whoever he was, had evidently done something which was considered to be detrimental to the society's interest.

At the end of 1867 the society had completed ten years of its existence, and the following table, showing the progress made in the ten years, was printed on the balance sheet :