The Winchester and Portsmouth Diocesan Guild held a special general meeting at Southampton on November 2nd to discuss the publication of Guild reports, and if so how to finance them. The Master (Mr. F. W. Rogers) presided, supported by the general secretary (Mr. J. A. C. King) and the general treasurer (Mr. R. A. Reed).
The Guild executive had recommended that the subscription for ringing members be reduced to 2s. 6d. and that the reports be not published. To this there were four amendments: (a) that reports be published in full and a charge made for them; (b) that subscriptions be fixed year by year to take effect from the following January 1st; (c) that the subscription of honorary and ringing members be increased; (d) that a fee of 6d. be charged every ringer who rang a peal for the Guild, and that a report be published in full every third meeting.
After a full discussion, a large majority voted for (d), the peal levy amendment, and this was carried by the meeting nem. con.
This means that from January 1st next conductors are to collect 6d. from each ringer in a peal and forward this with the report of the peal to the Recorder of Peals (Mr. J. M. N. Lakin, 19, Bar End Road, Winchester). The Guild subscription will be unchanged and the report published every third year - the next in 1960.
The meeting concluded with Mr. A. York-Bramble thanking the Guild for their financial support to the appeal to augment Portsmouth Cathedral bells to ten, and asking individual ringers to continue their support.
The bells of St. Michael's were available before the service in that church, conducted by the Vicar (Rev. K. W. H. Felstead). Thanks were accorded by the Master to those responsible for local arrangements.
The Ringing World No. 2434, November 22, 1957, page 757