Our New Home.

The last convention provided that a committee composed of the Board of Directors, President, General Counsel, Editor and Manager of the Magazine and the General Secretary and Treasurer look into the matter of selecting a place for the location of permanent headquarters and the erection of a building which would bring a revenue to the organization. Circulars have been issued advising as to what has been accomplished by this committee, and the last circular showed that owing to the fact that we were unable to get entire possession of the property purchased in Cleveland, Ohio, without buying up some of the leases, it was decided by the committee that the Grand Lodge headquarters should remain in the city of Peoria and the Magazine Department in the city of Indianapolis until after the next convention (Washington, D. C., 1913), and that quarters for the Grand Lodge should be leased in the Jefferson Office Building in the city of Peoria; the same to be for a period of three years, lease to terminate one year after the close of the next convention.

In accordance with instructions received, the President and myself arranged for quarters in the Jefferson Building, and we are now nicely located in roomy offices. We were very much crowded in our old quarters and we had very little room for our files and for the caring of old papers and records of the organization. In our new offices we have plenty of room for this purpose and we are now so situated that we can get to our files and gather together information that is called for from time to time with very little trouble. In the old offices these things were so crowded together that it took sometimes two or three days to dig among the files in order to find what was wanted. In our present loca

tion every office is well lighted. There is not, in fact, a dark office in the entire suite. We believe we have ample room for the carrying on of our business for the next three years, and should any of our members be passing through the city of Peoria, we will be glad to show them through our new headquarters offices.

Our Organization.

A

In the early part of this year I gave in this department some data relative to our financial condition, and I am pleased to say that at present we are going ahead very nicely, and even though during the last two months-in fact, the last three months-business with the railroads has been very poor, we have shown a net increase in membership each month. quarterly report is issued by the Grand Lodge Officers, but as this does not get to the individual members, and believing they are interested, I take this opportunity and method of showing to our membership the progress we have made during the first six months of the year 1911. We had a net gain in our membership in the month of January of 953 members; in February, 976; in March, 1,192; in April, 258; in May, 271; in June, 58, or a total net increase of 3,708 members for the six months. Our membership on June 30th, was 77,177. At the close of business December 31, 1910, we had a balance in our several funds of $1,333,353.89, and at the close of business June 30, 1911, we had a balance in our several funds of $1,709,484.50. This includes the value of our property in Cleveland, Ohio. Thus we have made a gain in our balances in the several different funds for the six months of $376,-. 130.61. We had on June 30th in our beneficiary fund $945,702.13; in our beneficiary expense fund, $7.960.50; in our beneficiary reserve fund, $174,412.35; in our building fund, $2,762.42, and the

value of our property in Cleveland, Ohio, is $103,669.59, making a total of $1,234,506.99 in our several beneficiary funds. This in itself speaks wonders for our organization, and if this information is imparted to men outside our order who are eligible to membership therein it would, I am sure, prove a strong incentive to their enlisting in the ranks of the "Tried and True"-the organization that represents their calling, that is prepared to defend their industrial rights and that has an ample treasury to meet its financial obligations, whether arising from death and disability claims or any other cause.

When the financial condition of our

Brotherhood on January 1, 1905, is compared with its financial condition today, it is hard to realize that our organization could gather together so much money in so short a space of time, taking into consideration that it has all accumulated from the small sums contributed by our members.

Double Beneficiary Assessment. This is a matter which has been treated on many times in these columns, but it seems that some of our members are still of the opinion that they are paid thirty days in advance. In other words, that they do not have to pay their assessments on or before the first day of the month in order to keep themselves in good standing. This is wrong; all should clearly understand that they have to pay their assessments on or before the first day of each month, and I wish to again emphasize, as I have many times before, that in case a member is expelled for nonpayment of dues the double beneficiary assessment he has paid simply keeps his beneficiary certificate in full force and effect for thirty days after such expulsion. In other words, if he is expelled on the second day of the month, and he should die before the close of that month, the amount of his certificate would be paid to his beneficiary. Brothers, do not go along with the idea that your assessments are paid in advance and that you do not have to pay them every month. There have been several cases wherein members becoming expelled had disability claims filed in the Grand Lodge Office, and when application was made for their readmission we had to refuse such applications, owing to the fact that they were not in good physical condition. There is only one way to keep yourselves

in the best possible standing; that is to hunt up the financial secretary and see that he has your money for the following month's assessments on or before the first day of that month.

Readmission of Former Members.

It seems that many of our recording secretaries continue to send applications for readmission to this office for former members and fail to enclose a Form

G-48, which must accompany the application for beneficiary certificates; otherwise we can not place the applicant's name on the rolls of membership. sire to urge upon all recording secretaries never to forward an application for

I de

beneficiary certificate unless same is accompanied with a Form G-48, wherein the former member applies for readmission and gives the number of the lodge to which he formerly belonged. Many times applications for beneficiary certificates come in with nothing on them except to show that the member was initiated and the applicant's name placed on the rolls of membership as a new member. When we call upon the financial secretary for the Protective Fund Assessment of $2.00 he replies, stating that this former member was readmitted and did not come in new member. This necessitates considerable correspondence, and if recording secretaries would make it a point not to apply for the readmission of a former member unless they have the application for beneficiary certificate accompanied by a Form G-48, it would save them and the Grand Lodge a great deal of inconvenience.

as a

Legislative Board Assessments.

It will not be long before some of our Legislative Boards will begin to levy Legislative Board assessments upon their members, and I urge upon the Chairmen and Secretary-Treasurers of our Legislative Boards, if they intend to levy an assessment, that the same must be levied on the forms prescribed by the Grand Lodge, which will be forwarded free of cost upon request. We can not levy a Legislative Board assessment unless we receive notice on the proper forms and in ample time to give financial secretaries the required notice so they can collect the same from the members. In the year gone by some of the officers of Legisla tive Boards gave this office very limited time to advise financial secretaries of

same, and it will be necessary in the future for us to decline to levy an assessment unless notice of the same is given in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and far enough in advance of the time when the assessment should be paid by the members so the financial secretary will have ample notice that the

assessment is due and must be collected from the members.

Do not forget that every member of a local lodge, no matter what his vocation or where he is located, is liable at all times for Legislative Board assessments when properly levied by the officers of the Legislative Board of the State in which his lodge is located.

New Albany Joint Union Meeting.

The New Albany Joint Union Meeting was a splendid success. It was the second of a series of joint union meetings being held by the train service brotherhoods in this section of the country and was given under the auspices of Division 303, O. R. C., New Albany, Ind.

The meeting took place at Mænnerchor Hall on the afternoon and evening of Sunday, June 18th.

The speakers at the afternoon and evening sessions were Assistant President Timothy Shea, B. of L. F. and E.; John F. McNamee, Editor and Manager B. of L. F. and E. Magazine; Oliver Irwin, General Chairman O. R. C. Pennsylvania Lines West; Chester R. Carleton, General Chairman of the B. of R. T., Pennsylvania Lines West; F. L. Feick, Indiana Legislative Representative B. of R. T.; Arthur J. Lovell, General Chairman B. of L. F. and E., Pennsylvania Lines West; E. E. Stevens, B. of L. E.; G. S. Hice, Division 303 O. R. C., and Thomas C. Williams, Division 89 O. R. C.

In his address Assistant President Shea urged the great necessity for federation and closer cooperation amongst railroad brotherhoods and railroad men. He told of the great work that has thus far been accomplished through the organization of railroad train service employes in advancing the industrial and economic interests of their members, but held that this was but the first step towards the establishment of absolutely just and equitable employment condi

tions. He said that federation and concentration was the order of the day in the world of business and finance and amongst employing interests generally, and that in order to keep pace with the movement of the "interests" along this line it was absolutely necessary that wage-earners should attain to a perfect condition of organization and federation.

Brother Irwin dwelt upon the necessity of members giving close and prompt attention to their duties as such, not only in so far as the dictates of fraternalism directed but in their attendance at lodge and division meetings and in fulfilling their various other obligations.

Brother Carleton spoke on the necessity of complete organization and the maintenance of an active and well working protective system.

Brother McNamee advocated closer relations between the railroad brotherhoods and all other labor organizations, urging that all had a common cause, viz., the advancement of the economic and industrial interests of wage-earners in general. He cited the abduction of Secretary McNamara of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers and the methods employed therein as evidence of the necessity for the workers to awaken to the dangers which threaten them as a class in consequence of the usurpations and arrogance of the plutocracy.

Brother Feick spoke of the splendid results accomplished by the legislative representatives of the railroad brotherhoods during the recent session of the

Sam Swartz, 602 W. P. Roach, 396 G. B. Wylie, 373 W. R. Wilson, 515 W.R.Keathley,382 M. G. Miller, 288 R. Richmond, 27 J. McRae, 374 E.D.Hawley,376 C. A. Perkins, 573 G.O. Ainsworth, 105 Sam Detwiler,734 T. A. King, 48 J.P.Boardman,530 E. C. Lawson, 33 Joe Finn, 669 G. A. Whitney, 551 Geo. Goding, 499 H. Schlemmer, 511 J. D. Hayes, 249 J. W. Reed, 137 G. Wingmuth J. M. McQuaid, 39 Edw. Roberson, 618 H. W. Frey, 39 J. N. Parry, 50 Sec.-Treas. Gen'l Chairman Vice-Chairman

Stenographer

Indiana legislature, and emphasized the great importance of protecting and advancing with unceasing vigilance and assiduity the legislative rights and interests of wage-earners.

Brother Lovell spoke of the work which has been accomplished in recent years for the men he represented as the result of organization, drawing interesting comparisons between the conditions of the past and the present.

In the remarks of Brothers Stevens, Hice and Williams, "federation" was the predominant theme, the need being specially emphasized by them for closer relations and universal cooperation amongst wage-earners, the necessity for which is being demonstrated by events they cited which are transpiring about us every day.

The afternoon meeting adjourned at 5:30 o'clock, at which time a lunch was served, which was thoroughly appreciated by all.

The evening meeting was called to order at 7:30 o'clock.

The Committee of Arrangements consisted of Bros. J. F. Cummings, J. T. Patterson, B. of L. E.; J. E. Northam, B. of L. F. and E.; R. W. Lewis, E. E. Charley, B. of R. T.; B. F. Newlin, O. R. C., and G. S. Hice, O. R. C., chair

man.

The meeting was a splendid success and is sure to be productive of the most desirable results. The next joint union meeting, of which due notice will be given, will be held under the auspices of the B. of L. E. J. E. NORTHAM, Rec. and Fin. Sec'y Lodge 297.

Organizer's Good Work-General Chairman Urges Cooperation.

At our Twelfth Biennial Convention, held in the city of St. Paul, a law was enacted on the recommendation of our Grand Lodge officers providing for the establishment of an organizing department. Knowing that we had quite a number of non-Brotherhood firemen under our jurisdiction I appealed to our Assistant President, Bro. Timothy Shea, to assign an organizer to the Rock Island lines. On January 3d Special Organizer G. N. DeGuire of Lodge 266 started to organize the non-Brotherhood firemen on this system. Brother DeGuire has completed his labors on the Rock Island and

has carefully covered the system and succeeded in initiating 404 new members. When he concluded his work here he did not leave more than ten men on the entire system who were not in the fold. No doubt he would have gotten these men, but they were off duty and out of the city.

These new members have been in the service for various periods ranging from six months to twenty-one years. One can readily understand what a great gain this means to our Brotherhood. It will increase the funds being paid to the various departments over $10,000 per year.

A great many of our members have a wrong idea as to the method used in paying our organizers. Some are under the impression they are working on a commission basis. I believe they gain this impression from the fact that Brother DeGuire works about eighteen hours out of every twenty-four and doesn't seem ever to tire of his labors. For the benefit of those men who have gained this wrong impression, I wish to state that every dollar collected by the special organizer is turned over to the financial secretary of each respective lodge and the organizer receives his specified monthly salary direct from the Grand Lodge.

I did not have the opportunity of spending as much time as I would like with Brother DeGuire in his trip over the system, but I did spend considerable time with him and am led to believe that we could assist a special organizer very materially in his work if our members would take the proper interest. Our Assistant President, Brother Shea, always sends notices of the trips of the special organizers over the various systems or railroads, and if our lodges, on receipt of this notice, will comply with the instructions and compile a list of the nonBrotherhood firemen, appoint committees and ballot on same they will have the list ready for the special organizer on his arrival, and thus permit of his commencing work without any unnecessary delay.

Another suggestion I desire to offer is that the moment a notice is received from the Grand Lodge to the effect that a special organizer has been assigned to a system every member on that road appoint himself a committee of one to advise every non-Brotherhood fireman of the coming visit of the special organizer so he will have ample time to consider the matter and will be prepared to join our Brotherhood. In this manner, broth