BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

320
Grand Council revenue between 1902 and 1914 never achieved the
level obtained in 1887, £10,133, or the sums recorded in the Capital
Account during 1893, £15,018.
Prior to the 1906 General Election,
receipts were relatively small, accounting for less than the 1895-96
figure of £6,213, the lowest recorded earnings obtained between 1887
and 1901.
During the 1907-08 and 1912-13 Primrose years, however,
income accounted for between 7,000 and 8,500 pounds with the figure
rising to a generous £9,065 by 1913-14. 18
Although the sums represented a substantial
increase over the
1895-96 returns, the most accurate gauge of membership remained the
Knights' and Dames' Tributes which reached their height, £5,690, in the
1889-90 Primrose year. By 1901-02 it had declined to a modest £2,914.
While the receipts rose somewhat between 1906 and 1914, the income
derived from Tributes never exceeded £3,348, obtained between 1911-12,
58 percent of the 1889-90 figure. The League managed to buttress its
diminishing base of Knights' and Dames' subscriptions through its other
principal sources of income: contributions of the LGC and Knights
Imperial, general donations, revenue derived from The Primrose League
Gazette, dividends on investments, and earnings accrued from diplomas
and badges.19
ib
For a detailed listing of Income, Tributes and Capital
accounts between 1887 and 1901, see Appendix D. A record of Income,
Expenditure, and Capital revenue between 1902 and 1914 is provided in
the Financial Reports of 1903, 1906, 1909, 1911, and 1913. Figures
relating to the 1903-04; 1906-07; and 1913-14 Primrose years, not
contained in the Financial Reports, are found in the Minutes of the
Grand Council of the Primrose League, 24 April 1904; 25 April 1907; 23
April 1914.
19 Ibid.