Verhovayak Lapja, 1947 (30. évfolyam, 1-24. szám)

1947 / Verhovay Journal

AMENDED BY-LAWS GO INTO EFFECT

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This provision has substantially widened the jurisdiction of the branches while restricting that of the district sessions

Hereafter, the pre-convention district meetings shall neither discuss, nor take action upon the amendments to the By-laws proposed by the Board of Directors, as this task has been referred to the branch-meetings. The pre-convention district sessions shall elect the delegates to the National Convention and. if deemed necessary, formulate recommendations to be taken up by the National Convention. And, since these actions of the convention which had not been previously presented to and approved by the branch-meetings will be subsequently presented for final approval to the branch-meetings, the post-convention district meetings will be discontinued. The electoral districts of the Association have held their last post-convention meeting in November 1947.

The advantages of these measures are obvious. Up to now, only a select group of members have had an opportunity to voice their opinions in regards to the recommendations of the Board of Directors and the actions of the National Convention. Hereafter, every member of the Association, who has attained the age of 16. shall have an opportunity to express his opinion and to cast his vote in all matters affecting the government of the Association. These amendments extend the privilege of active participation in the democratic government of the Association to every member. It is to be hoped that this increase in the jurisdiction and authority of the branches will be met by a corresponding increase in the interest of the general membership in the proceedings of the branch-meetings

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The National Convention divided the Association into eight directorial districts. Hereafter, one director shall be elected from each district for the foreign born membership, and one director from every two districts for the American membership. The Hungarian directors already were elected in accordance with, this set-up by the Convention, while tire directors for the American-born membership wei’e elected from the entire body of the delegates of the American districts. The next Convention, however, will elect the American-born members of the Board of Directors in the same manner as the Hungarian-born directors had been elected by the last Convention. *

The following are the new directors assuming office on January 1st, 1948: District 1.) Aioysius C. Falussy (New York).

2.) Stephen Lang (Betlehem. Pa.) 3.) Louis Vizi (Scalp Level. Pa.), 4.) Bertram Kun (Homestead. Pa.), 5.) Joseph Turner. (Youngstown. O.) 6.) Coloman Kolozsvárt (Cleveland O.) 7.)

Julius Macker (Detroit, Mich.), and 8.) Stephen Nyers (South Bend. Ind.), who together with 9.) Henry Gross, additional member of the Board of Directors, reelected for the membership of the former Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation, wall represent the Hungarian born membership, while 10.) Albert B. Ari (Trenton. N. J.), 11.) Mike Korossy (Alliance, ().), 12.) Andrew Kovács M.D., (Cleveland, O.), and 13.) Richard Phillips (Detroit, Mich.), shall serve for the American born and English speaking membership.

Other important changes affecting the Board of Directors are: the chairman and the recorder of the Board of Directors will be elected from among the members of the Board by the directors; the term of the Board of Directors shall expire at the conclusion of the National Convention to be held in 1951.

THE NEW ORGANIZING SYSTEM

The eight organizing districts of the Association have been discontinued as of December 31st 1947, and replaced with four Organizing Fields. Each Field is managed by a Field Supervisor who, under the direction and supervision of the National President, conducts the promotional activities in his Field. The Field Supervisors are appointed by the Board of Directors. They are engaged on a fixed salary basis and they will receive no commissions after new members, regardless of whether or not they j will have beexx secured with their personal assistance.

A special meeting of the Board of Directors, attended by both the retiring directors add the directors-elect. was held on October 25th. when, pending the final approval of the amendments to the By-laws by the district meetings, the four Field Supervisors were appointed. The following were elected Field Supervisors by the Board of Directors: Frank J Cher in District

I.. Joseph Nemes in District III. Michael Simo in District III., and Nicholas Takacs in District IV. The Field Supervisors assumed their resp. offices on January 1st, 1948

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Pennsylvania Fraternal Congress

To Expel Pro-Communist Societies!

— Executive Board Empowered To Proceed Against Societies Admitting Communists To Membership .—

A Resolution on Communism and other Subversive Activities was unanimously adopted at the 86th Convention of the Pennsylvania Fraternal Congress, on November 18th, in Reading-, Penna. In compliance with the request of the Congress the text of the Resolution, to appear in the official publication of each member Society, is printed in the following:

“Whereas, the Pennsylvania Fraternal Congress is an association of patriotic fraternal societies who are loyal to their Government and the American way of life, and who are dedicated to the perpetuation of our form of Government, its Constitution and laws, and to the American Government ideals; and

Whereas, Communists, as well as other elements opposed to our American way of life, are attempting1 actively to infiltrate into Societies which are members of this Fraternal Congress; and

Whereas, there is no room for Communism, nor for Communistic officered societies in the Fraternal Congress of Pennsylvania, because of their subversive ideas, tendencies and avowed purpose of undermining' the American Government, and substituting therefore the totalitarian form of Government, wherein the state or government usurp the liberty and freedom of persons and citizens and would curb and subvert our right of worshipping God according to the dictates of our own conscience and change the form of religious worship; and extend their curb and controls to public schools as well, in order to promote and perpetuate their doctrines and un-American activities; and

Whereas, members of the constituent Societies of the Pennsylvania Fraternal Congress are unalterably oppossed to Communism in any form, as it has been shown in this country and in other nations by its devious methods of infiltration and its usurpation and control and expansion of its idealogies.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Pennsylvania Fraternal Congress, in session assembled in the city of Reading, Pa., November 18-19, 1947 that they solemnly disavow and condemn the action of any society in promoting Communism; or by permitting officers to be elected from its members who are Communists; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Pennsylvania Fraternal Congress is opposed to any person who is a Communist or is supporting the Communist party or is seeking- to gain advantage or control of the fraternal societies composing this Fraternal Congress through being admitted to membership in any society; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that it will be the puipose of the patriotic fraternal societies which constitute the Pennsylvania Fraternal Congress to disavow and condemn any action on the part of any constituent society to admit a communist member or to permit Communists to gain control of the society to the extent that societies which do admit Communists, or permit Communists to gain control of the societies will be dropped or expelled from membership in the Pennsylvania Fraternal Congress as unworthy of recognition as a true, patriotic fraternal society; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Executive Board of the Pennsylvania Fraternal Congress be authorized and empowered to investigate cases of societies which admit Communists as members of their society, and if the facts warrant the action to drop them from membership in this Congress.”

Journal December 31, 1947

Notice has been sent by the Home Office to each and every branch-manager informing him of the organizing district to ! which his branch has been assigned.

The former organizing districts having been discontinued, four offt our District Managers, Victor Austerlitz, Louis Cincel, John Fulop and George Toth, have retired írom their positions as of the end of 1947. The Board of Directors endeavours to place each of these four retiring district managers in one of the local organizing districts, to be formed shortly. This endeavour already has met with success in Betlehem, Pa., where Bi’anch 98 assumed organizing district status and elected Victor Austerlitz District Manager.

According to the amended By-laws, branches, or groups of adjacent branches, embracing approximately 1,000 members, will be developed into organinzing districts to be managed by full-time branch-managers who shall serve in the capacity of Distiict Managers. These district managers will be appointed by the National President, subject to approval by the meetings of the branches involved. (The operation of this plan already has been illustrated by Branch 98, Betlehem, Pa.)

Branch-Managers, serving part-time only, shall qualify for the status of Assistant District Managers, if they assume and meet a certain production quota.

Thus, the promotional force of the Association consists of the following: the head of the entire system is the National President who directs, controls and supervises promotional operations. Immediately under him are the four Field Supervisors who are in personal contact with all managers in their resp. fields, supervising, directing their activities, and training the new field representatives. Next are the District Managers, serving the organizing districts consisting of branches, or groups of branches, embracing approximately 1,000 or more members. They serve on a full-time basis and are under production quota requirements. Then come the Assistant District Managers serving branches not qualifying for organizing district status, on a

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