There were districts where Co-operation was not yet firmly established, and through the policy of the directors, which made for helping societies wherever possible, small sums were still being lost occasionally. The next society to close its doors was Clippens. For some time it had been in low water, and as the Federation was finding it impossible to obtain payment the supply of bread was stopped. The committee of the Renfrewshire Co-operative Conference Association undertook, however, to try and get that association to become security for payment, and supplies were again granted, but only for a short time as, when the matter came before the Conference, the delegates refused to accept any responsibility. It was then arranged that payment should be made for the bread on delivery, and that payments should be made periodically for the purpose of reducing the debt of the society. In a very short time this arrangement also was departed from, and the society shortly afterwards collapsed, the assets only paying ½ per £ of the debts owing. There were other societies which were not paying their accounts regularly, and on several occasions these were written to and requested to make prompt payments. About this time, also, Cessnock Society went into liquidation, but were able to pay about twenty shillings in the pound. RESIGNATION OF MANAGER. Mr David Smith had been manager of the Society from the time when Mr Robert Craig resigned, in the summer of 1875; while prior to that time he had acted as secretary, and he had been a member of the committee from the first year of the Society’s existence, having been the representative of St Rollox Society. He had thus an unbroken acquaintance with the work of the Society as member of committee, secretary, and manager for almost twenty years; but the time had now arrived when he decided to sever his connection, and so, in October 1889, he intimated to the committee that he was resigning in order to commence business for himself. His resignation was accepted, and at the same meeting a special sub-committee was appointed to make inquiries from the heads of the various departments with the object of ascertaining whether it was possible to carry on the business without a general manager. The result of this inquiry was that the committee decided to rearrange the methods of business by giving each departmental manager full control of his department under the committee, thus obviating the necessity of appointing a general manager in the meantime. Instead of a general manager it was decided to appoint a cashier and accountant who should have full control of the office, and Mr James H. Forsyth, from the accountancy department of the Wholesale Society, was appointed. THE FIRST GLASGOW BOYCOTT.