For some reason which is not very easy to understand after the lapse of time the committee did not treat alike all the societies which withdrew from the Federation. For instance, Barrhead Society had no deduction made from its capital on withdrawing, while Johnstone Society, two years later, was asked to pay 7½ per cent. toward the reserve and depreciation funds. As the circumstances which led to the withdrawal of the two societies were practically similar, and as the financial position of the Federation had changed, if at all, for the better in the interval, to find a reason for the differentiation is a little difficult. Parkhead Society, which withdrew shortly after Johnstone, were charged 10 per cent., but in this case the society had not been regular or consistent customers of the Federation, and at the meeting at which intimation of their withdrawal was given very serious complaints of their unco-operative methods were made by the sub-committee. PRESIDENT AND TREASURER RETIRE. The year 1880 was notable for the retiral of two officials of the Society who had given long and faithful service. Mr Alexander, who had been treasurer almost from the beginning, was defeated at the annual meeting held in March, Mr James M‘Murran, Glasgow Eastern, receiving the greater number of votes. At the same meeting Mr Andrew Brown, who had been president of the Federation from 1872, intimated that it was not his intention to seek re-election, his reason for this course being that his society, Paisley Provident, had decided to open a bakery of their own. At the following quarterly meeting the delegates decided to present Mr Brown with £30 as a token of esteem for the manner in which he had conducted the business of the Society during the years in which he had been president. This decision called forth a protest from Paisley Equitable Society—in the first place from the committee of the society, and later by the authority of a quarterly meeting—but the committee of the Baking Federation held that as the decision had been that of the delegates the matter was one in which they could not interfere, and in due course the presentation to Mr Brown took place. Mr Alexander Fraser, Busby, was elected president in succession to Mr Brown, and during his term of office the Society entered on a period of prosperity much greater than any which had been experienced hitherto.