Official Organ Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order Of The State Of Texas, Founded 1897. BENEVOLENCE VOLUME 61 — NO. 1
HUMANITY
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3519 with Undeliverable Copies to: SUPREME LODGE SPJST, P.O. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76501.
BROTHERHOOD JANUARY 3, 1973
PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL NEW YEAR'S MESSAGE AND REPORT the mandates of that convention and Dear Members: abide by them. As I said in my report It has been traditional for the presilast week, I believe that on the whole dent of the Supreme Lodge to submit it was a good, convention. an annual New Year's message (and We now have a total of 131 lodges report) to the membership for a num-. with 46,816 certificates in force. (An ber of years. This report will be just a estimate, since the final figure will not little shorter than previous such rebe known until sometime: early in 1973). ports because, mainly, I covered much During 1972, we didn't have any of what had transpired in our last lodges to disband. We had the organconvention in last week's issue of the ization of one new lodge, Lodge 176, Vestnik. Houston Northwest, and two lodges to Regarding my "Review of the XXIst merge with another lodge. Convention" in last week's Vestnik, I We have also made progress in the would like to add one important alloamount of insurance sold during 1972 cation that your president recommendand a new record of insurance in force. ed and which was passed in the recent The credit for this effort goes to the convention. It concerns Article 53 (h): entire Organizational Department, "Each district will receive an allocation from the Supreme Lodge vice presiof 8150 per year from the Supreme dent's office right on down to the disLodge to be placed in the district's trict sales representatives and local General Expense Fund. This sum is to be used to reimburse district officers, new allocation should take care of sales representatives. All of these peoexcept the district youth counselor ple have worked hard to achieve a recthese incidental expenses. ord amount of insurance sold and put and his assistant, for travel and exFor a more complete review of the on the books in 1972, and we are very penses while on official business with- XXIst convention and what was acin that district." I had thought for a complished, please refer to my report proud of all of them. (Net figures in long time that the district officers, in in last week's Vestnik. Very shortly we insurance gain available in early 1973). holding district meetings and traveling should be ready for the distribution of Premium refunds to members for 1972 about their district on. other SPJST the official Proceedings of the XXIst (through December) will amount to business, were riot reimbursed for these convention and the new by-laws. Both approximately $186;532.09. The refund expenses (except partially so in one of these are in the hands of the pubrate will be discussed and set for 1973 in the January meeting of the Sudistrict from that district's treasury). lishers. preme Lodge, based on the . recommenThis would also include expenses to Of course, the big happening in dation of our actuary, Mr. David Huff. the same people in those districts where planning meetings are held, I972 was the XXIst convention. That The 7 per cent refund to lodges for that is, sessions wherein the district convention and the results are now 1972 (through December) will amount to approximately $77,445.67. meetings themselves are planned. This history. All of us must now live with