I have received a rather interesting letter from a Member’s wife about our annual subscription and this can be found on page 26. I have decided not to publish her name so that her husband does not get any “flak” but her basic message to us is that our subscription appears to be very modest for what members receive for it, and that it could, quite justifiably be higher.

Our standard annual subscription is £20 for which members receive four copies of this magazine a year which including postage costs about £5 per member. Public Liability and Personal Accident Insurance Premiums come to£7.25 each. The annual rent for Stoke St. Mary Hall apportioned is about £2.30 per member. Other rents, rates and insurances not just relating to the two Railways come to over £2,000 p.a. in total—say £17 per member. So without the Railways and Exhibition income, we certainly would be in trouble and unable to cover our overheads from our subscriptions. Now, I accept that not all members are enthusiasts of the two Railways but bearing in mind that they are Club projects which were democratically voted for many years ago, has the time come for us to think of increasing our subscription so that we are not so reliant on the income from the Railways and the Exhibition to “balance our books”? I should be very interested to know how much other Clubs charge by way of subscription and it may well be that the Southern Federation will pick up on this point in due course and let us know.

But what do members think? Bear in mind the old saying—”It is never wrong to make a profit!” Please write to me with your thoughts.

Tony