A NEW SOAPWORKS

Cadishead and Irlam Guardian 1926

 

 

A NEW SOAP WORKS.

OPENED BY SIR W.E. DUDLEY, O.B.E., AT IRLAM.

C.W.S. INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT.

INTERESTING TOUR OF A SPACIOUS BUILDING.

 

A further stage in the industrial development of Irlam was reached on Tuesday by the opening of the Co-operative Wholesale Society's new soap works, which will find employment for 500 more operatives. The new building adjoins the old soap works opened at Irlam in 1895.

 

Since the C.W.S. started manufacturing soap at Durham in 1874, a weekly output of seven tons has grown to one of 900 tons a week, and the new works is capable of an output of another 500 tons.

 

THE OPENING CEREMONY.

 

The opening ceremony was performed by Sir William E. Dudley, O.B.E., chairman of the Grocery Committee, in the presence of representatives of 600 co-operative distributive societies from all parts of the northern area, which includes Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire. "It is well and truly started," said Sir William as he formally opened the works by starting the machinery.

 

Afterwards the visitors toured the new building and later were entertained to luncheon presided over by Mr. H.J.A. Wilkins, president of the Co-operative Wholesale Society, Ltd.

 

WHAT THE VISITORS SAW.

 

The new building, which is of reinforced concrete, has been designed for the health and comfort of employees. The departments are spacious, well lighted and compactly arranged. A novel feature is the inclusion in the main building of the caustic and glycerine departments usually housed in separate buildings on account of the somewhat untidy nature of waste products. This drawback has been successfully overcome by the well-balanced structure lending itself to more economical working and improved supervision and control.

 

The third and top storey of the building accommodates the soap-boiling pans, each of which is capable of holding 60 tons of soap. There will eventually 16 of these pans, turning out a total of 500 tons of soap a week.

 

The second floor contains the glycerine lye tanks and soap clutchers, and the ground floor is occupied by the soap frames, in which the soap is allowed to cool preparatory to the slabbing, barring, stamping and packing operations, conducted in the spacious stamp room.

 

All the machinery is of the latest type, and the power-house, with its two turbo-generators, is designed to provide the whole of the energy required for both the existing and the new soap works. The roof is laid out with plants, a fountain, and seats for the pleasure of the employees.

 

Under the direction of Mr. H. Townley, the building has been erected by the C.W.S. Building Department, from designs by the late architect, Mr. F.E.L. Harris, and the power and steam raising equipment was installed by the C.W.S. Engineering Department, under the control of Mr. R.L. Gass, the engineer.

 

SPEECHES AT THE LUNCHEON.

 

Mr. H.J.A. Wilkins who presided at the luncheon, expressed the board of directors' thanks to those who had accepted their invitation to the new works. When he came there that morning he was struck with the magnitude of the place and thought it was going to take some trade to keep the place running.

 

There was in that district a number of societies which were giving them the whole of their trade, but there were others which were not doing so. He made no apology for saying the object of inviting them that day was to let them see what had been done to produce soap, and to ask the societies for the whole of their trade.

 

In 1875 their old friend, Mr. Green, started making soap up in Durham. At that time they were producing about nine tons of soap a week. Finally, they came to Irlam, and now, roughly speaking, were making about 750 tons a week.

 

LOYAL SUPPORT NEEDED.

For the last three or four years, he had been emphasising the absolute necessity on the part of their societies to loyally support their own works. The money invested in the works was their (the societies') money, and they had made the Board the custodian of their savings.

 

That factory was their factory, the money invested was their money, and if they were wise they would see to it that every farthing it was necessary to spend in soap in their own particular districts come to that factory.

 

Success there meant success to them, and failure at the factory meant failure to them. He urged them to rally round the works and make the step the committee had taken justified by giving them their whole soap trade.

 

FOR THE BENEFIT OF EMPLOYEES.

 

Sir William Dudley said the public at large might look upon their members as a very cosmopolitan body drawn from all quarters not knowing very much, but when they found that what they know crystallised in works of that description, they might reply "We don't know very much, but we can definitely say that we are not lost." (Laughter). That was a beautiful factory.

 

They proposed to put on the outside bowling greens and tennis courts and on the roof of the factory provision was made to enable their employees in leisure hours to have a alesta? if they desired.

 

A BOLD SCHEME.

 

That morning it had been suggested to him that the factory was a bold scheme. To those outside it would be regarded as a bold scheme, but they, the committee, know the societies had the trade they must disgorge that trade, which was their trade, and not send it outside to other people. They could all that works if only had the whole of their trade.

 

EVERY CO-OPERATIVE MASTER MIND REQUIRED.

 

They believed that the success of the future rested along the lines of co-operative production. If their people were not willing to produce and prepared to work on those lines, they would, before a great length of time, find themselves a failure in the direction the pioneers of the movement intended them to be a success.

 

They must not let societies say they could not sell their own articles because other articles were so heavily called for. If they were of that temperament, then they would never have made pioneers. If they wished to succeed, every co-operative master mind the movement could provide was required in those circles. Without that master mind they were not going to be of any service. He therefore asked them to give their orders to add to the lustre of the co-operative movement.

 

SIR WILLIAM DUDLEY CONGRATULATED.

 

Mr. Kitchen, of the Liverpool Society, prefaced his remarks by offering ob behalf of those present their hearty congratulations to Sir William Dudley on the honour of knighthood, recently conferred upon him. (Applause.) He thanked the directors of the Wholesale Society for asking him to speak.

 

Probably he had been privileged because he represented a society which did 100 per cent, trade with Irlam. (Applause.) It had been said they had received orders for 950 tons of soap a week, and that new extension was capable of producing another 500 tons. They as societies' managers, must inevitably support the Wholesale Society at that works. In conclusion, on behalf of the managers, he thanked the Board for the privilege they had been given to visit the works.

 

DESERVED TO PROSPER.

 

Mr. Richardson, of the York Society, also spoke, and hoped there would be a loyal response to Sir William Dudley's appeal, and that the magnificent works would prosper as they deserved to do.

 

NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE TOTAL CONSUMPTION.

 

Mr. C.W. Couche, the manager of the works, compared the trade done now with that of 20 years ago. It rose in a short time from 250 tons to 500 tons a week, and now it was not quite double that quantity. There were, however, many pieces of evidence which, convinced them that the present trade did not, by any means, represent the total consumption of soap by co-operators of this country. Ways and means would be devised to awaken the conscience of the co-operative public.

 

A PIONEER.

 

He took that opportunity to remark about his personal friend and their late manager at the soap works. Mr. Green, (Applause.) Illness had prevented him from being present that day. Mr. Green took a keen interest in the inception of that building, and was for 32 years manager of the C.W.S. Soap Works.

 

Under Mr. Green the soap works had grown from practically nothing to its present dimensions, (Applause.) They had plenty of land and enough for three factories such as that one. That one was only a portion of the factory, as it was intended to add two wings to it - a dry soap and a toilet soap department - as soon as the trade justified the building.

 

Captain Bacon, a director of the Manchester Ship Canal, offered his congratulations, and said he valued the progress of the C.W.S. very highly, as they looked upon this as being indicative of the canal company's advancement, having regard to the class of trade carried on by the C.W.S.

 

During the luncheon the Irlam C.W.S. Orchestra, conducted by Mr. R. Hesford, played an attractive programme of music, and as the visitors inspected the building the C.W.S. Tobacco Factory Band under the conductorship of Mr. J. Kenyon, played on the roof garden.

 

ANOTHER VISIT.

The ceremony was repeated by Sir William Dudley on Wednesday, when another large party of co-operators inspected the works, and were afterwards entertained.

 

 

 

Done