From the beginning until 1905 the S.C.W.S. had only paid half dividend on flour purchases. The directors had been approached by the Baking Society’s board on more than one occasion to have this practice altered, but without success. However, at the beginning of 1905 the S.C.W.S. directors decided that in future they would pay full dividend on flour on all new contracts. They were again approached by the U.C.B.S. directors, who had a large contract for flour placed with the S.C.W.S. at the moment, to extend the privilege to contracts at present running, but this they were unable to do. The financial standing of the Society was improving with every year that passed, and in 1905 they found that notwithstanding the very large additions which had been made recently to land and buildings the shares and reserves covered all but 11½ of the total. At the quarterly meeting held in March 1905 it was agreed that the Society take out ten shares in the North Wales Quarries Society, and at a later meeting this number was increased to 100. Unfortunately, this society, which had been formed to provide work for slate miners out of work because of a trade dispute, did not prosper, and after a few years of a precarious life was forced to go into liquidation. On several occasions the Baking Society placed orders for biscuit cartons in America until they were able to procure such goods at home. One such order, placed in 1905, was for 100,000 cartons. They were also utilising motors to some extent for bread delivery, and, in addition to their first purchase, other two were now bought. In September of this year—1905—another attempt was made to get the C.W.S. to acknowledge the Baking Society’s invoices, but again without success. The contention of the C.W.S. directors all the time was that they were quite able to do all the trade in England, and that therefore the U.C.B.S. did not require to go there at all. The relations of the directors with their employees have always been cordial, and whenever conditions of trade have permitted concessions in a shorter working week and in wages, where these were not regulated by national agreements, were made from time to time. One such concession was made in 1905, when the hours of the girls in the packing flat were reduced from fifty-one to fifty per week without any request from the employees. From time to time, also, meetings of the board with the heads of the various departments took place, so that the directors might place before them the nature of the complaints, suggestions, etc., which came from societies, and solicit their co-operation in extending and consolidating the business through the production of first-class goods and speedy distribution. At one meeting of the board, held shortly after the close of Paisley Congress, a special vote of thanks to the manager, purveyor, and heads of departments was recorded for the efficient manner in which all the work of purveying for that huge assembly had been carried out.