[Welsh Working Men's Club and Institute.] Manuscript 'General Income and Expenditure Book' containing itemised and audited accounts of the Working Men's Club and Institute, Cefn, Kenfig Hill, Bridgend, and the Talbot Miners' Welfare Institute.

The present volume provides a fascinating sidelight into the operations of an archetypal Working Men's Club (Labour leader Ed Milliband was recently described as being 'more at home in Primrose Hill than Kenfig Hill') at what was perhaps the high point of such an institution, covering the period from just before the Great War to the end of the Depression of the 1930s. The accounts relate to two locations: the Cefn Institute and the Talbot Miners' Welfare Institute. The latter was founded in 1911 after a gift from the Talbot family, and closed in 1959. A listed building, it reopened with lottery funding in 2005. The item is 270pp., large 4to. In printed ledger by Western Mail, Limited, of Cardiff: in double column, with 'Receipts' (including printed columns for the Kenfig Hill collieries Aberbaidon, Ton Philip, Bryndu, Cribbwr Vawr) on the left-hand opening, and 'Expenditure' on the right. A sturdy 41 x 34 cm. volume, with plum leather quarter-binding, and grey cloth covers. In gilt on spine: 'General Income and Expenditure Book'. Internally good, on lightly-aged paper, in aged and worn binding. Occasional sets of accounts are dated and marked as 'Audited and found correct', and signed and dated by two individuals. Loosely inserted in the volume are manuscript memoranda (2pp., 4to) on one leaf, with one side carrying a list of 12 Kenfig Hill names and addresses, headed 'January 12th 1920 | Management Committee | Aberberbaiden [sic, for Aberbaiden, a Kenfig colliery], together with the name and address of the 'Examiners Rep'. The volume also contains three loose receipts (dated 1913, 1914 and 1938) and a note in Welsh. The first page of the volume contains a record of sums raised by 'Tickets sold for opening concert' (and at the rear are two entries relating to the 'Opening Ceremony' on 20 September 1911: a record of the 'Proceeds of Tickets sold at doors' (£6 16s 0d) and eleven guineas to J. D. Dover for the 'cost of Luncheon'). The accounts cover everything from methylated spirits to waste paper baskets, and a note indicates the care with which the accounts were kept: 'N.B. Of the £8 18s 1d received from the Collieries prior to the appointment of D H Price as Treasurer - the Sum of £8 6s 9d was expended before his appointment and the Balance 11s/4d was transferred to him and acknowledged on opposite page - receipt No. 9'. A valuable aspect of the volume is the record of wages and salaries (caretaker, cashier, treasurer), for example: £10 7s 6d to 'John Rogers 5 wks' wages & £2 7s 6d less 10s/- a wk. Insurance Benefit for 3 wk.'; 10s to 'E. Grififth Rees acting as temporary caretaker - one day'; £3 to 'Mrs. [Hopkin] for washing towels'; £5 to 'A. Holwill for Painting Cen Institute on a/c'; £5 2s 8d to 'W. Parry 44 Hours at 2/4 per hour Repairs to Institute'. The thousands of entries include: 3s 6d to 'Mr Wm Hopkins - haulage of coal from Cribur Fawr'; £10 7s 9d to 'Messrs Evan Thomas & Co. Ironmongery etc carbide'; 15s to 'Mrs A Davies cleaner - for cleaning school after Committee meetings'; £0 5s 6d to 'D Davis Haulage of Coal from Ton-Phillip yard to K. Hill'; £10 to 'H Samuels Ltd. Medals for Billiard Tournament Prizes'; £13 15s 0d to '[Mr] E J Riley [cost of] small Billiard Table'; £1 11s 0d for 'Hire of Hall Piano'; 9s 6d to 'Dana & Co. Temple of Fashion rubber gloves'; 10s 6d to 'Western Mail - revolving climax date stamp'; £29 14s 0d to 'Acetylene Gas & Carbide Co. new generator'; £1 15s 0d to 'Ton Phillip Colliery Co. 2 tons coal'; 1s to 'G Richards - throwing a load of coal'; 6d to 'S. H. Stockwood - Billiard License'; 18s to 'John Davies goods supplied as prizes for billiard handicap'; 12s to 'The Blick Typewriter Co Ltd'; £8 9s 11d to the 'Postmaster General, Telephone Charges Cefn £4 .. 15 Talbot £3 .. 4 .. 11'. The Institute's library features in a number of entries, for example: £3 4s 0d to 'Moses Morgan classifying books'; £1 14s 0d to 'Mr Edward Dodd [cost of] 24 Vol. Punch's Library'; £30 to 'W H Smith & Son - 3rd instalment for Library books'; £1 10s 7d to 'D F Williams - Magazines etc'; £10 3s 6d to 'Albert Edwards Bookcase etc. for Cefn'; £1 8s 6d to 'Pain & Co. Magazine Covers'.