Bennett's of Ballinacurra Descriptive List (Ref. B609)

B609/

B609/9/E/14 Diary, 1949. The entry for 22 March records a discussion with Paddy Barry of the ITGWU, regarding the employment of non-union men. A promise sought by Barry from the firm to employ only union men where such men were available was refused. It is not the union’s policy seems to be to prevent agricultural labourers entering the union or industry work, although ‘a union man may go and do agricultural work’. The entry for 24 May concerns the tenancy of a house and license held by Mrs Barry at Kearney’s Cross [see also B609/6/C/3]. On 27 July Mrs West records the visit to the Cereal Station of ‘2 Barley Celebrities from France’ (from SECOBRAH, an industry organisation). B609/9/E/15 Diary, 1950. There is much reference throughout to the fitting and repair of oil firing kilns and other equipment [see also B609/1/A/32]. On 22 February, Mrs West showed a Mrs Perkins over the Bennett village house. Mrs Perkins ‘is to write to say if she is interested in house, meanwhile we wait to hear if Gwen is interested in it’. The period March-April contains many entries concerning discussions with the ITGWU regarding wages, and the dismissal of a tractor driver. On 25 April, the Cereal Station was visited by officials from the AGS experimental maltings at Warminster. On 20 July, the Dutch minister for agriculture and others visited the Cereal Station. From 4 to 6 December, Mrs West and Mrs Bennett attended meetings at AGS regarding JHB. B609/9/E/16 Diary, 1951. Much reference is made to the reorganisation of the company [see also B609/4/C/2]. A note inserted for 8 September concerns a discussion with ITGWU officers regarding employment and wages. Mrs West records that a union official said ‘the men thought that Messrs Guinness had some hold over the Firm, & they were a millionaire firm. I replied that so far there was no sign of their giving us any millionaire profits to distribute’. The final entry is for 9 November.

B609/9/F

Dorothy West (nee McNeill), other records, 1932-77 (1915, 1987)

Dorothy West (nee McNeill), other records, 1932-77 (1915, 1987). There is a small amount of personal correspondence of Dorothy West and other items in the collection. These include personal letters from business associates and colleagues, for example, on the occasion of her retirement. There are also several letters relating to her involvement in the Church of Ireland Youth Council and other church interests. A small file regarding the Charleston House and estate contains letters of Dorothy, but also some items of her son, Trevor West, from after her death (B609/9/F/6). [See also B609/4/C/1, B609/9/A/61, and B609/9/B/6, concerning the death of John H Bennett and the transfer of ownership of the company and estate.]

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