CEDA: The Early Years — 1946
July 22, 2019
This year saw the introduction of movies for educational seminars. Secretary Edmunds reported: “These moving pictures with sound provide invaluable training.”
The directors were interested in seeing how movies could be adapted to educational uses, and instructed the Secretary to further investigate that development.
World War II had just reached its conclusion, and its after-effect on the business world was being felt. The equipment and materials needed to supply the war effort had badly depleted inventories across the country, with the subsequent shortages limiting construction.
The Priority Work Order Bill attempted to ensure that needed construction was done on a priority basis, but the bill found little favor among CEDA’s membership. Following considerable discussion, it was resolved CEDA would advise Department of Reconstruction and Supply that the legislation was not only impractical, but unfair, as it did little to control manufacturers’ sales.
Closing on Saturdays provided a point of contention for the Central District (Ontario). A motion to have all Toronto distributors close every Saturday all year was quickly amended to Saturday closing for just the summer months of 1947 until the effect of the closing on business could be seen and evaluated.
John Kerr is Publisher of CEW.
Source: CEDA: Fifty Years of Service – An Historical Review of the Canadian Electrical Distributors Association, 1934 to 1984, Kerrwil Publications. Please feel free to reach out to us anytime if you have great photos, historical anecdotes or perspectives. We would love to hear from you; linegoyette@kerrwil.com.
