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Official Organ Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order Of The State Of Texas, Founded 1897 HUMANITY
BENEVOLENCE
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 35 9 to: SUPREME LODGE, SPJST, P.O. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76501 VOLUME 64, NUMBER 14 APRIL 7, 1976
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK PLEASE READ THIS EDITORIAL CAREFULLY!
It is for your in-
formation and benefit. The Recommended Changes in the SPJST By-Laws, from the ByLaw Committee, appear in this issue, beginning on page 3. To conserve space we are only printing the portion of the by-laws where changes have been recommended. References are made denoting Article, section, and subsection, etc. It should be easy enough to follow along since the references are the same as printed in the 1972 XXIst Convention By-Law book, which, of course you must have for reference. We are printing them in this issue in preference to next week's issue (April 14) when all the SL officers' pre-eonvention reports are scheduled to appear and there probably would not be space for them. This gives our delegates and members time to study the proposed changes before our convention convenes. Please save this copy for future reference. Now, about another matter that your editor feels obligated to explain to our membership' in general and our delegates specifically. In their October 1974 meeting the Publication Committee received suggestions from Supreme Lodge President •Morris that the Vestnik be published only twice a month
(semi-monthly) and also that it be in a tabloid form. Included was this statement: "One expense that would be avoided would be that with, folding and stitching, which amounts to a good deal." Here it should be explained that the folding is automatic as it comes off the printing press and there is no additional cost for folding the paper. The stitching (or stapling) and trimming are operations that take about 12 hours of work each week for one person. The reason the Vestnik is stitched is to keep it from falling apart when you read and handle it. The top of the paper is folded and must be trimmed so you can open it up. Now if a person is paid the minimum wage, or say $2.50 per hour, then there exists a cost of $2.50 times 12' or $30 a week additional cost; $30 times 52 weeks is $1,560 a year, not an overwhelming sum. At $3 per hour it amounts to $1,872 per year. The decision will be up to you members and, especially your delegates, and how you instruct them to decide. The report of the PC is forthcoming, so be watching for it and read it carefully when it is printed. In this issue, we make an effort to not only explain, but to show our readers what the Vestnik would look like in one of the forms (uncut and unstitched) that has been suggested. Please follow these sug-
gestions: When you look through your Vestnik you will see that the middle pages are 16 and 17, where the staples are folded over. We have printed the SL Financial Statement on these pages so as to show the tabloid form. On the right hand side of the page are three arrows marked A, B. and C. On the front and back pages of this same issue are also arrows marked A, B, and C. Sirrmly pull page 16 off the staples, place face up, turn the remainder of the Vestnik with the front and back pages up, and match the arrows (if you wish, you may tape page 16 and the frontback pages at the arrows) and that is the way your Vestnik would look, of course unstitched. An explanation in detail will be given in the convention. 'Your editor feels you should know all of these pertinent facts. Much thought has been given to the above lines in order to give all of you a true picture you will have , to consider. One main reason for the above lines is that this same problem came up in the 1948 (15th) Convention of the SPJST. In the early part of 1948 the Vestnik was published in tabloid size. At that convention, which was my first as a delegate, the proceedings were in Czech, so allow me to translate from the PC report in that convention: "From many of our readers, we