Accounting at an Irish maltster – the accounting practices of Bennetts of Ballinacurra in the 1920s and 1930s

ABSTRACT

This study details the accounting practices of Bennetts of Ballinacurra, a maltster, from about 1920 to the mid 1930s. Little literature exists on the accounting practices of the time in an Irish context, and even less on maltster accounting in Ireland or a wider context. Our findings reveal relatively stable and institutionalised accounting practices with a primary focus on financial accounting and transaction recording. While we find some management accounting-type practices that appear to have been relatively stable and institutionalised, no detailed or regular costs of the malting process are apparent. We suggest that the maltster type, strong links to Arthur Guinness, Son & Co, Ltd, cost structure and the influence of an external accounting firm were contributing factors to whether or not accounting practices were institutionalised.

KEYWORDS:

• Internal accounting
• malt accounting
• institutionalised accounting practices

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their thanks to Brian McGee, Timmy O’Connor and all the staff at the Cork City and County Archives. We are also very grateful to the two anonymous reviewers and the Editor for helpful comments during the review process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Clark (1998, 118) refers to an example cost calculation from Lancaster (1908). The same example is used by Talbot (2006).

2. John H. Bennett and Company, later John H. Bennett and Company Limited.

3. One barrel equates to a volume of approximately 26 gallons.

4. This firm became Magennis Burns Griffin & Company in 1936 and later became part of Deloitte & Touche, which is presently Deloitte.

5. The business, as a sole trader, did not require an ‘audit’, but this term is used in all the trading accounts we analysed.

6. Ireland did not introduce Corporation Tax until 1976. Before this date, companies paid income taxes.

7. We have not been able to determine to whom the commission was payable.

8. These data are only available in the year-end accounts for these two years.

9. The Companies (Consolidation) Act 1908, although a UK statute, was still in force at this time.

10. The costs of the malting process given by Clark (1998) and Talbot (2006) are more detailed and seem to relate to sales maltsters.