Fergus celebrated its centennial in 1933.
It seems that the managers of the Beatty Brothers firm, the dominant industry in the village, felt slighted because their company did not feature prominently in those celebrations. Early the following year they decided to hold a big celebration marking the 60th anniversary of the business.
In many respects, 1934 marked the high point of Beatty Brothers. The second generation of the family, Milton and W.G., had been involved in its management for more than three decades, and had been directing its affairs since their father, George, had stepped aside after 1912.
Growth had been steady but rapid, and the company had taken over a handful of other companies across southern Ontario along the way. Their abilities as managers far exceeded the first generation of the family. While other firms struggled and some failed during the depression of the early 1930s, the Beattys sharpened their pencils and maintained production and employment, though on very slim margins, and were able to increase their market share on their farm equipment and kitchen appliance lines.
Beatty Brothers began 1934 aggressively, taking over three other companies in as many months. First was Canada Die & Castings, of Owen Sound, then a factory in Chatham that made wheels and other components. Management shut down both those operations, moving the equipment and the key employees to Fergus.
Biggest of the takeovers was Gould, Shipely & Muir Limited, of Brantford. That firm had been a direct competitor as a maker of stable equipment, pumps and windmills. Additional production at Fergus necessitated an expansion of about 14,000 square feet to the Hill Street complex.
The transfers added more than 70 men to the workforce at the Fergus plants. That produced a housing shortage, something unheard of elsewhere during the depression. The Beatty housing division announced plans in May to build six new houses immediately, with more to follow later in the year.
W.G. and Milton Beatty, with their senior employees, planned their jubilee celebration against that background of expansion and optimism. Both brothers had a natural ability at promotion, cleverly using the celebration to generate free advertising and to motivate their employees and sales forces.
The design department came up with a new model of washing machine, named, naturally, The Jubilee. It was featured prominently in the advertising of the company beginning in the spring of 1934. Initially priced at $99.50, the company quickly reduced the price to $79.50 as part of its promotional campaign.
The matriarch of the family, George Beatty’s widow Martha, celebrated her 83rd birthday in April. The company gave that event wide publicity, using it to underline the family values that dominated the firm, and stressing Mrs. Beatty’s half century as a Sunday School teacher at Melville Church and her other endeavours to promote the welfare of the Fergus population.
Virtually all the company’s advertising in 1934 featured a banner depicting a diamond and portraits of the firm’s founders, George and Matthew Beatty. That logo also appeared on invoices and stationery, and, of course, on the cover of a booklet outlining the company’s history (which, of course, omitted the various setbacks and failures over the years).
The main events of the Beatty Jubilee year fell during the week of June 18 to 25. Management had fired up the Dominion-wide sales force, and offered a week in Fergus as a reward to those who exceeded their sales quotas. The competition was a great success: the company claimed retail sales of over $1-million from March to the end of May.
The program included tours of the manufacturing facilities, motivational talks, and entertainment each evening. The company built a temporary hall near the Hill Street plant for the evening programs of plays and pageants.
Local artists Alex Cameron and Russ Plyley prepared sets and backdrops. For music, the company lined up the Fergus Pipe and Brass Bands, plus Evan Stevenson’s Orchestra and a handful of local performers.
One of the problems was accommodation for the visitors. The Beattys, over the years, had purchased and closed all the Fergus hotels as part of their relentless temperance campaign. Management urged employees to help out, and eventually there were billets for about 400 visitors. Tents accommodated the balance of them.
Visitors began arriving on Monday morning, June 18, by motor car from nearby localities. About 10:30am, a special train arrived on the Canadian Pacific line from Toronto with more than 150 men on board. Most were ready for a holiday: some of those from the west arrived dressed as cowboys. Those with hip flasks soon realized it was best to keep their beverage out of sight. Other visitors arrived on regular trains.
The men had their breakfasts at their assigned homes, but their other meals were served at a canteen set up at the factory. Some 40 Fergus girls acted as waitresses. At the factory, the visiting salesmen viewed demonstrations of new Beatty models. One washing machine had a glass front, permitting a view of the machine in action.
The greater part of the day’s activities consisted of such demonstrations and talks by various senior employees, designed to raise enthusiasm for the company and its products. The entertainment was for the evenings, but even that had a motivational aspect. The highlight was a pageant, in 11 scenes, depicting highlights of the company’s history.
Tuesday evening featured a banquet, with 100 roast chickens served, all cooked in Beatty brand ranges. Wednesday evening centred on a garden party at the home of Milton Beatty, and ended with a fireworks display. Thursday evening offered visitors a choice of golf or swimming at the pool donated to Fergus four years earlier by the Beatty family.
There was entertainment every evening, virtually all by Fergus residents.
Friday night was the last evening of entertainment, with more music, dancing, and a handful of brief speeches by Beatty managers and some of the visitors. There were also some short skits, depicting salesmen dealing with reluctant potential customers and prospective buyers who could not speak English.
On Saturday, the week ended with a trip to the Stelco plant in Hamilton, lunch at the Royal Connaught Hotel there, and a visit to Niagara Falls by motor car. It was something of a convoy, requiring about 75 cars. On the way home, many of the visitors caught trains at the Hamilton stations. A Beatty truck had conveyed their luggage to the stations directly from Fergus. Some of the western men returned home by way of Chicago, where they paused to visit the Chicago World’s Fair.
The planning for the week had included several sporting events, but the tight schedule meant they had to be cancelled. Many of those who came had expected more of a holiday, rather than a week centring on sales techniques, pep talks, and product demonstrations.
The company did not reveal the cost of the celebration. One published account put the amount at over $100,000. W.G. Beatty, always the stern and practical man, put the figure at less than $20,000, all of which, he insisted, was recovered by increased sales in 1934.
Beatty Brothers ended 1934 with an operating loss of $144,000. Much of that, though, must be charged to new construction at the Hill Street plant, and the one-time costs of integrating three other firms into the Beatty operation.
All in all, 1934 was a very good year for Beatty Brothers, and a very good year for Fergus.