BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

144
It was with regard to the policy of the SGC that the LGC sought
most frequently to assert its control over the purse strings. Between
1888 and 1901 the Women's executive contributed an average of ten
percent a year to the budget.
Repeatedly they made requests for
detailed information regarding the manner in which contributions were
being spent, even going so far as to suggest how the money might best
be employed in an upcoming (1892) General Election and to offer general
advice concerning overall improvements to Scottish organization.28
The SGC Ledger Summary for 1886-1901 provided in Table 3 offers
a breakdown of financial and membership figures relevant to Scotland
and the contributions made by the LGC during these years.29
28
LGC Executive Committee Minutes, 12 March 1891; 10 April
1891; 24 April 1891; 1 May 1891; 29 May 1891; 17 July 1891; 29 April
1892; 3 November 1893; 6 November 1896.
29 The SGC Ledger Summary is divided into nine columns. These
include the financial categories of Income and Expenditure, Knights'
and Dames' Tributes, LGC Grants, and the LGC Grant as a Percentage of
the Total SGC Budget. Table 3 also provides figures representing the
numbers of Knights, Dames, Associates, their cumulative total, and a
listing of Habitations for Scotland.
The Income/Expenditure and Tribute Received columns are based
on figures rounded down to the nearest pound as derived from the
"Income and Expenditure Account" in the Ledger of the Grand Council
Scottish Branch.
The LGC record of donations is derived from Table 1.
SGC official membership figures are obtained from several
sources. The 1886 figures are listed in the Minutes of the Grand
Council of the Primrose League, 7 January 1887. The numbers provided
for 1889, 1890, 1899, and 1900 are derived, respectively, from The
Primrose League Gazette, 25 May 1889, p. 9; 19 April 1890, p. 2; 2
January 1899, p. 5; 1 February 1900, p. 18. The 1901 figures are from
"The Fifteenth Annual Report" of the SGC published in February and
contained in the Scottish Branch Minute Book, 1885-1904.