Formation of the Company

When the site had been approved, it was thought that it should be owned by a corporate body which would take the place both of the Trustees of the Building Fund and of the Hall Committee. It was decided that a Society incorporated under the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts would best fulfill the purpose. Accordingly, Long Eaton Masonic Hall Limited was formed.

The members duly created a draft set of rules which they proceeded largely to delete and, in a few instances, to amend, to meet our particular requirements. The amended draft was forwarded for registration, only to be returned with a polite intimation that nearly all the deletions had to he restored to satisfy the Registrar. Hence, if anyone should be so interested as to read right through the rules, he might well be excused for thinking that many of them are inappropriate and more suitable for a Co-operative Society than for a Masonic Hall Limited.  

Interest-free Loans

At this stage, it was felt by members of the Finance Committee that no further large scale donations could reasonably he asked for from the Long Eaton brethren, who had already contributed so generously, and that further financing of the enterprise ought to be carried out by loans, interest-free if at all possible, bearing in mind that the annual capitation fees, etc., would be sufficient to pay off such loans within a reasonable period. The Finance Committee's appeal for Interest-free loans brought a ready response, a total of £2,865 being received from brethren and their ladies up to December 31st, 1955.