The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-01-11

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| 'The first thing want to discuss in
this report is the membership which
| is the element that gives life to this
organization. On the first of Janu-
airy, 1912, the club had membership
whose dues were paid in full to that
date of six hundred and twenty -six
mem bers.
''It was deemed advisable to under
take a membership campaign and a
plan of publicity to precede the CAM
palgn was outlined and for a period of
ten days the Capital and Journal gave
considerable space to stories giving
reasons why more people should be-
long to the Commercial club.
1T was also planned, and member
ship cards were printed, providing
that new members joining the club
would sign the card for two years
membership at twelve dollars per
year, and it was intended that the
contract of membership should be
binding for that period of time. With
this preparation, the campaign was
launched on the 10th and 18th of
January, two of the coolest days last
winter. The thermometer on either
day did not rise above zero, but not
withstanding this Indictment weather.
about twenty-five men gave their time
for these two days and as result the
membership was increased to ten nun
dred and seventy.
Members were permitted to sign the
card without the payment of any mem
bership fee or without even paving anv
dues, some Of them being permitted to
make their own terms of payment, that
is either monthly or quarterly. We had
hoped to eradicate the difficulties that
had surrounded former membership
campaigns by impressing upon the new
members that by signing the card they
were in honor bound to pay their dues
for the two years membership, but af-
ter the first month many of the mem
bers began to drop out and especially
those who had promised to pay month
ly. At the end of the first six months
many more dropped out and SO on dur
ing the year, the greater portion of the
new members, who had become mem
bers during this campaign, for one rea-
son and another, dropped out of the
club, with the result that on the First
of January, Nineteen Thirteen we have
a membership of six hundred and fifty
six members whose dues are paid to
the first of the year and ninety-five
members whose dues were paid to the
first of July, 1912, and fifty members
whose dues are paid for portions of
the year Nineteen Hundred and Twelve
and these latter one hundred and forty
five members are still carried on the
club rolls with view that they will
pay up their arrearages in dues and
continue their membership.
Uncertainty of Available Funds.
"It has been difficult for the board
of directors to intelligently guage the
expenditures of the club by reason of
the uncertainty of the available fund
and when it became apparent to the
membership committee that we We're
losing the members that had been
taken in during the last campaign, the
matter was considerably discussed as
to the best manner to secure permanent
members for this organization, and af-
ter several meetings, the membership
committee made Recommendation to
the board OF directors that the bylaws
of this club be amended so that all
dues shall be payable in advance on
the first of January. The board of
directors after thorough consideration
and discussion, of the amendment pro-
posed, deemed it the best plan that
could be adopted and recommended
that such an amendment be presented
to the membership for their approval
and at a membership meeting of the
club held ON the night of December
18th, Nineteen Hundred and Twelve, the
resolution was presented and a free
and open discussion was had and a
motion was made that it was the sense
of that meeting that the resolution
should be adopted. which motion was
carried unanimously: and that resoiu-
ton is up tonight for the vote of the
members present and for final adop-
ton.
Another Membership Campaign.
middle of this month a membership
campaign will be inaugurated for the
purpose TO securing enough new
members who will pay their dues in
advance for the year to bring the
membership of this club to one thou
sand members and in fact, If this
club is to continue on the same basis
that it is now operating, it becomes
imperative that such a membership
be had. In order to carry out prop
erly the work of the club, on the
scale that we are now attempting to
carry it out, I have prepared a bud
get which will approximately have to
be met for the ensuing year. The
budget: Rent, $2,400; salaries, $4,000;
electric light sign. S15s.40; printing
and editing Bulletin, s335; postage,
$500; printing and advertising, $500;
miscellaneous, $1,000.
This brings the actual require
ments of the club up to approximate
1y $1,000. It certainly seems that in
a city of fifty thousand people there
should be a thousand men who are
willing to contribute twelve dollars
per year to the maintenance OF an