"Freemasonry tries to make good men better, it cannot make bad men good"

Minutes – 28th September 1920

It was agreed that in order to purchase clothing and furnishings, the members be asked to make a loan to The Lodge. Details obtained from the original loan document are as detailed below:
Name Address: £ s d
Andrew Wright Bridgend School House 2 0 0
Wm R Davidson Woodside Cottage 2 0 0
Wm Gray Burnside Cottages 2 0 0
John Sneddon Red House Cottages 2 0 0
George G Brown Philpstoun 2 0 0
David D C Munro Philpstoun 1 0 0
Wm Brown Burnside Cottages 2 0 0
Peter Whyte (Jnr) James Place 2 0 0
David Allan Philpstoun 2 0 0
Wm Davidson James Place 1 0 0
Wm Duff James Place 1 0 0
Alexander Kerr Bridgend 1 0 0
Jas Malcolmson Bridgend 1 0 0
Andrew Rae Bridgend 1 0 0
James Kerr Philpstoun 1 0 0
Wm Kerr Newton, by Winchburgh 1 0 0
Adam Kyle Philpstoun 1 0 0
Peter McKenzie Red Cottages 1 0 0
David Ritchie Philpstoun 1 0 0
Matthew M Brown Burnside Cottages 1 0 0
John Mushet Bridgend 1 0 0
A Gilmour Three-Mile-Town 1 0 0
  Total £ : 30 0 0

The following recommendations by the committee were read and agreed to:

  1. That our meetings be held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month from October to May at 7pm
  2. That Initiation Fee be £5 – 5 – 0d
  3. That Affiliation Fee be £1 – 5 – 0d
  4. That Annual Subscription by 3/-
  5. That the annual election of office-bearers be held on third Wednesday of November, Nominations on third Wednesday of October.

I have been informed by some of the older Past Masters that in 1920 the average wage would be approximately £2 per week, which would make the Initiation Fee approximately equal to two and half weeks’ wages. This make the present Initiation Fee very reasonable indeed.