Arizona republican., 1920-01-22
|. IF |. MEMBERS TO - BALLOT Ov QUESTION IF ADMITTING WOMEN

Shall women be admitted as members Of the Phoenix chamber of commerce? is the sense of the principal question put to all members yesterday by the board of directors Referendum voting ballots were mailed to the members.
 The ballot asks if women shall be admitted on an equal basis as men,
 shall they serve on committees or on
 the board of directors, or shall spe- ciaI class for women members be S tablished.
 Accompanying the ballot is cir cular which reads:
 The question of accepting member
 ships from women and taking in wom-
 en as active members of the chamber ! of commerce was discussed briefly at
 the last mem ltersh D meeting. On mo-
 ton il was decided 10 give all members an opportuHlty to vote on this matter
 For your Information is given below
 a portion of a letter from the chamber of commerce of the United States, i whicn tells what other organizations i have done toN ard securing the help and cooperation of the women workers for the community.
 The Roanoke. Va, chamber Of com mercc is perhaps the best example of an organization with a woman's aux ! Hilary This chamber has a women i branch with it's own bylaws, which elects it's own officers including direc- ] tors. Active membership consists of one representative for each member- ] ship held in the chamber of commerce, the holder of such mbership to have l the privilege of selecting his repre- sentative either from within or without his immediate family. Associate mem 1 bershir is provided for other women
 desirous Of affiliating and is contingent
 upon payment of annual dues At
 present time this women's branch has 1 176 members.
 "The Saint Paul (Minn) association
 at present has 200 women members on
 it's rolls which constitutes 23 per
 cent of the entire membership of 3,OOo. l Women members are privileged to avail themselves of any type of mem berShip sold by the association rang ing from $1O for an individual member ship to S100 for firm membership. The women have the right to serve on sub division and committees and the i association makes no attempt to dis l criminate in this connection The as socta1on has among its directors at ! the present time two women who are directors on subdivisions
 The Albany, N Y, chamber of com
 merce has about. 30 women members.
 Membership dues are $25 to both men
 and women and the women share all
 the privileges of the men members, and
 are eligible to Hold any office, if elected.
 The Ottumwa, Iowa. Commercial
 club has a women's bureau WitR special
 membership dues of $2 per year This
 organization works as a bureau of the
 Commercial club and has all the privi-
 ieges of the men except that they do not vote for the board of directors.
 "Tbe chambers of commerce of Wheeling. w. Va, and La Porte, Ind
 each report that they have a few wom- en members on their rolls who pay the same dues as men and are entitled to the same privileges.
 If women are taken into the cham Der of commerce on the same basis as men, and sufficient number are en rolle1 all work having to do with child and women welfare, recreation, health and the like may be given to commit tees composed of women members. .,T'he women members of the cham Der of commerce may be known as the Women's Division. They can elect their own chairman Of the division. with the approval of the president Of the cham Der. and of course the president of tho chamber would consult the chairman of the division regarding any appoint ments of committees in the division There would be no reason under this 1 plan why one or more women should not be elected on the board. of direc- tors.
 Before making trial of an affiliated l or subsidiary organization We would l suggest that you make every effor1 | to get the women to join the chamber | on the same basis as men and to ere l ate therein a Women's Division There | is always some danger in the affiliated | or subsidiary plan. The members com posing the affiliating or subsidiary or | ganiZation are apt to take over tho | control of so much important worl that it weakens the strength Of ths | Iarert organization. Given full inde | penderce Of action there is nothing t | prevent the subsidiary organization | from undertaking any kind of work and the first thing you know you ma,
 have two organizations duplicatint community effort and working at cTos