Verhovayak Lapja, 1950 (33. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1950 / Verhovay Journal
I- Verhovay Journal ___________________________________________________________________________ Septemofcr 20, 1950 !il -Verhovay Journal Journal of the Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Ass’n. OFFICE OF PUBLICATION 7907 West Jefferson Ave. Detroit 17, Mich. PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association Managing Editor: JOHN BENCZE Editor: JOHN SABO Editor’s Office: 436—442 FOURTH AVENUE PITTSBURGH 19, PA. Telephone: COurt 1-3454 or 1-3455 _ All articles and changes of address should be sent to the VERHOVAY FRATERNAL INSURANCE ASSOCIATION 436—442 FOURTH AVENUE PITTSBURGH 19, PA. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: United States and Canada ................................... $1.00 a year Foreign Countries ................................................ $1.50 a year Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at Detroit, Michigan under the Act of March 3, 1879. OFFICIAL COMMENT EVERY MEMBER SHOULD READ THIS MOST IMPORTANT COMMENT The most important reason for the remarkable growth of the fraternal system can be attributed to the system’s practice of a truly representative form of government. Ever since its inception a democratic rule, comparable to that of our country, states, counties and municipalities, has been followed. It has been a government of the members by the members for the members. The membership certificate which is given to the individual ' when he is accepted by the society offers more than valuable protection against illness and death. It offers the right to participate in the operations of the society. The member is extended the privilege of helping determine how the society shall be operated and by whom it shall be operated. Lately, however, many of the fraternal organizations have noticed that many of their members have failed to exercise their rights, and have seriously concerned themselves with this problem. The officers realize that today it is even more important for the members to attend meetings and to participate in the operation of the societies than ever before. The security of our fraternal system requires the fullest cooperation of all members, just as the security of our country requires the fullest codperation of all its citizens. RETURN TO THE MEETING HALLS Our Association, the Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association, is no exception to the affliction of members failing to attend branch meetings. Some of our branches with memberships over the thousand mark think it fortunate when thirty or forty members assemble for a meeting. There are other branches where it is a most difficult task to get enough members together to have a meeting. THIS SHOULD NO LONGER BE ALLOWED! The continuation of our representative form of government demands an immediate return of our members to the meeting halls. It demands the sincere attention and the fullest cooperation of every member and officer. It is a challenge to every branch officer to find ways and means of getting the membership to the branch meetings. Even the mountains can be moved if we work together. DECEMBER MEETING OF VITAL IMPORTANCE The rebirth of the branch meetings demands our immediate ■ attention, and all members should go to the next branch meeting to determine for themselves the course of their future. Soon the month of December will be with us and as already expressed in earlier editions of this paper this month will be the most important month in our history. This meeting will be the one at which delegates will be elected to the District Sessions and the one at which the members will have to instruct these delegates of the ways and means with which to cope with the questions now confronting the Association, such as the question of cutting District Sessions and Convention expenses by 50%. The December meeting will also give the members the right to act directly upon the modifications to the By-Laws as proposed by the Board of Directors. Any proposed modification approved by the majority of the branch meetings, based on the membership of each branch Attention — the Convention Is Approaching’ VERHOVAY FELLOW-MEMBERS: In the Official Comment of the July issue of the Verhovay Journal the attention of the entire membership was called to the fact that at the December meetings of all branches having less than four hundred members, the delegates to the District Sessions will be elected. It was timely to call the attention of the membership to this important fact, but it is even more important that; the District Sessions elect such representatives to the National Convention who are fit in every respect for this office. If the fellow-members will carefully observe the provisions of the by-laws and elect the delegates to the National Convention accordingly, then we may save the National Convention at least three days’ time which, up to now, has been consumed by problems arising out of the examination of the credentials, appeals and disciplinary procedures. Our Board of Directors has successfully attempted to economize. Now it is up to the membership to elect able delegates to .the National Convention, delegates who will weigh all matters conscientiously and without prejudice i nd who will make every effort to conclude the Convention within one week, proving, thereby, that they, too, are willing to economize. In my opinion, there is no need for committees at the National Convention. I make this statement on the basis of the experiences gathered at the last Convention. If the national officers, together with the Board of Directors and the Auditing Committee, prepare everything to the last detail in advance, and examine all matters before they are presented to the assembly, then the Convention usually approves their reports with very slight modifications. Thus, the Convention really could be concluded within one week and ihe business of the Association could be completed and the expenses of the Convention would be cut in half. These statements are based on experience and personal conviction. Believe, me, it is. not ray intention to play up to the Home Office. I am considering only the interests of the Association and its membership. Nobody asked me to write this statement. Past experience has moved me to make these matters clear to the membership. After all, if we follow these considerations, we will save the funds of the Verhovay membership, for the benefit of the Verhovay membership. / My fellow-members know me well enough since I have attended every National Convention since 1931 and together with my fellow delegates we always tried to do the best for the benefit of the Association and its membership. Let’s elect, therefore, at the December meetings, such representatives who are willing to adopt the principles outlined above, and those who will be elected delegates to the National Convention by the District Sessions, shall make every effort to conclude the business of the National Conventio« within one week. MOSES BOKOR, Vice-Chairman of the XXI. Convention. as of November 30, 1950, and subsequently adopted by the Convention will become effective on January 1, 1952. Any new recommendations adopted by the Convention which were not considered or approved by the branches prior to the Convention will be acted upon at the branch meetings following the Convention. QUALIFICATIONS OF BRANCH OFFICERS Besides the matters listed above there will be the election of branch officials. If any one matter will help the rebirth of the branch meeting and the future of our Association it is the election of the right men with the right qualfications. By all means the President of the branch should be an honest, aggressive leader who will work untiringly with his members and his officers for the best interests of the entire Association. He should be the kind of a man who can inspire his members and his fellow officers to great achievement. The same qualities should be found in the man who will take over the position of branch manager All branch positions carry with it great responsibility and this is certainly true of the position of the branch manager, Among other things the branch manager has the responsibility of collecting the monthly dues and the acquisition of new members. He must not only keep the members, already on the branch books but he must also get new members. The branch manager, and the other branch officials, must realize, that like any commercial life insurance company, our Association must have a constant flow of new members. New members are imperative to the well-being of our future. We cannot have a bright future if we are standing still and when we fail to get the necessary number of new members we are standing still. In today’s, highly technical insurance field we must provide the best insurance service to our membership. The practices of today, based on the principles of sound life insurance protection with proper servicing. These are the responsibilities of every branch manager whether it involves a large, medium or small branch. These responsibilities should be accepted only by those who definitely can fulfill {them. Those who can successfully meet the challenge of present day competition in the insurance field should be reelected, and those who cannot do so should willingly step aside in favor of those who can. The interests of our membership demand the best service and we will not hesitate to give them the best service. The men who shall be elected as branch managers will be given every possible help to succeed. Training programs which have (Continued on page 5)
