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1930
– 1939
In June 1930, Wesley Haddan McEwen was hand-picked by R.C. Steele at
the CCWP to oversee the sale of grain
to the CLC(M). So the Ontario-born McEwen packed up his two-door, Model-T Ford
sedan and left Winnipeg for the Maritimes.
 Wesley Hadden McEwen
General Manager
(1932 - 1961)
Once he arrived, McEwen discovered that no formal network existed between the region's livestock clubs. Although clubs were operating under the CLC(M)'s
guidance - and there were a few agricultural and retail co-ops - they were far apart in their thinking, despite the realization that they shared
certain things in common. At the urging of the CCWP, the CLC(M) arranged a meeting with the clubs to provide direction to McEwen, but it proved to be a
disaster, and McEwen contacted feed sellers for advice on what to do. Although they advised him to pack it in, McEwen started ordering grain and set
out on a mission to talk to and unite farmers throughout the Maritimes. He was able to convince the farmers to trust him, trust their neighbours and, more
important, pay in advance for feed. Weeks later, the first carload of grain arrived at Porter Brothers Dairy Farm in Hammond River, New Brunswick. By May
1931, 180 carloads of grain had been sold.
It was quite an accomplishment for McEwen, but one soon endangered by rising rail costs. So McEwen arranged grain deliveries by
water. Over the summer of 1931 - in an adventure he christened The Farmer's Argosy - he put 10,000 miles on his Model-T to secure orders. On September 29,
the S.S. Winona delivered 2,100 tonnes of grain to Pictou. Unfortunately, the grain had been dumped carelessly into the hold and most of the labels had been
torn off. Only McEwen knew enough to separate the grains, but his efforts to sort through the mess and salvage the shipment eventually cost him his little
finger on his left hand.
By now, McEwen was out of a job, as financial problems at the wheat pools had prompted the closure of the CCWP in late 1930.
He applied for the newly vacant position of general manager at the CLC(M), competing against the estimable J.K. King. Although he lacked experience in marketing livestock, McEwen's organizational skills and ability to make things happen helped him get the job, while King went on to become Deputy Minister of
Agriculture for New Brunswick. McEwen immediately began work on what was, at the time, a very ambitious plan for the
CLC(M) - an effort that took on more urgency with PEI's coincidental withdrawal from the organization in 1933. He proposed a well-developed network where producer and consumer co-ops - rural and urban -
would put aside regional, political and geographic differences and work together.
The S.S. Winona in Mulgrave, N.S. in 1931
It was a vision similar to the Co-op Atlantic of today, but the plan met with considerable uproar, leading to the approval of a watered-down version instead. McEwen struggled over the next few years to build a consensus and ties between the different co-ops, finally getting the boost he needed in 1937 when Roy Grant was hired as assistant GM responsible for livestock marketing.
Revised plans aside, the CLC(M) managed some pivotal milestones through the mid- and late-1930s. The organization continued
adding services - such as buying fertilizer for members - and grew considerably in size. A warehouse with office space was leased on Mechanic Street in 1935 and
two adjoining warehouses were later opened. In 1938, McEwen decided CLC(M) could operate without government subsidies.
That same year, following rallies in Sydney, a proposal was submitted to the AGM to use the central CLC(M) as the basis for a
wholesale warehouse to serve co-op stores in Cape Breton. Although the plan was modified when McEwen suggested it could only work if CLC(M) opened a branch, not
a subsidiary, the Sydney warehouse opened soon after on October 1 and J. T. MacDonald became manager in 1939. The warehouse supplied a network of 32 stores
organized into nine zones and, by the end of 1939, was shipping approximately $30,000 worth of groceries each month.
Meanwhile, the CLC(M) had grown to 30 employees and had even diversified into the insurance business - first offering livestock
condemnation and travel, and eventually adding group sickness for employees and fire coverage. There were also changes made to the organization's bylaws. But
these were uncertain times for CLC(M) and the world. Hitler had declared war on Poland and England declared war on Germany. These developments would have a
profound impact on the growth and development of the organization in the decade ahead.
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1930s
- 1930 - The Nova Scotia Liquor Commission is established.
- 1931 - A statue of Evangeline is unveiled in Martinsville, Louisiana.
- 1932 - Amelia Earhart departs from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, for Ireland, becoming the first woman to
fly solo across the Atlantic.
- 1932 - Cabot Trail officially opens as final section is completed.
- 1934 - The Newfoundland legislature votes itself out of existence, and a non-elected Commission of
Government starts sorting out the province's financial affairs.
- 1935 - Thompkinsville, Canada's first co-op housing project, is established near Reserve Mines, N.S., by
Jimmy Thompkins.
- 1938 - The Bluenose wins its fifth and final race - a perfect record.
- 1939 - First transatlantic air mail flight leaves Shediac, New Brunswick for Ireland.
- 1939 - Gone with the Wind is released, and subsequently wins best picture, actress, supporting actress,
screenwriter and director honours at the Academy Awards.
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