Americus times-recorder., 1920-03-03
CHAMBER PLANS
COU.NTYADVISORY
BOARD AS CHECK
Questions 1t Disapproves
To Be Settled BY
Referendum

That the interests of the county
outside of Americus in the reorgan-
lied Chamber of Commerce VII be
amply taken care of and given con-
sideration at all times is assured by a
provision in the proposed bylaws of
the organization as agreed upon yes
terday by the special bylaws COM
mlttee, which formulated a report to
be acted upon at the first general
meeting of the membership of the new
body next Tuesday, March 8, at the
Carnegie library. The provision is
Der of Commerce management. 1t
was inspired, according to the COM
mittee members, by the desire to put
the county upon an equal footing
with the city in the management of
tie affairs of the organization and
make the members living outside of
the city feel that the organization
really belonged to them as we'll as
to the people in side of the city and
that its aims are to be of service
to them as we'll as to others.
The provision which is expected to
meet with unanimous and hearty ap-
proval by the membership when it acts
upon the bylaws report, provides
that an advisory board shall be Great
ed, composed of three members of
the Chamber from each militia dis
trict of the county which has five
or more memberships in the body, to
which shall be referred by the board
of directors all matters affecting the
interests of the county as a whole
outside of the city. In case this
board acts unfavorably on the mat
ter submitted to it, a referendum vote
of the entire membership shall be
taken to finally settle the entire ques-
ton.
Under the proposed bylaws board
of IL directors shall be the govern
ing body of the Chamber, shall elect
ali officers and shall constitute
the board directly responsible to and
Immediately in touch with the mem
bership. Under the plans, the Cham
ber's first primary election, for the
nomination of members of the board
of directors, will be held Wednesday
of next week. The mass meeting for
the adoption of the Chamber bylaws
being held on Tuesday, it is expected
that this detail will be disposed of
amicably and quickly so that no
time may be lost in actual organiZa-
ton of the Chamber and that it may
begin functioning.
The plans for the primary pro-
vide that within the next couple Of
davs a printed roster of the entire
membership shall be mailed to every
member of the organization with IN
struction to select twelve members
as nominees for the board of directors
A sealed ballot box will be prepared
and en- Wednesday of next week the
membership will cast their ballots.
The ballots will be carefully tabulated
and the twenty-four names having the
highest number of votes will be listed
and few davs later the election held
in the same manner, the "a names be-
ing given to the individual members,
who will be asked to vote for twelve
from the list. The twelve having the
higher number will be declared elect
ed This board then will organize as
the governing board and proceed to
choose the president, secretary and
other officers and transact the ordin-
ary business of the organization, eX-
cept such matter as will be found
necessary or desirable to submit to the
membership by referendum.
This is the plan of the American
CITY Bureau for conducting the busi-
ness of a Chamber of Commerce, a
plan which has been tested and found
successful. 1t eliminates mass meet
irgs Of membership which few attend
and which always result in a small CO.
terie of citizens controlling the affairs
of the organization. Under this plan
the body becomes a thoroughly demo-
cratic organization in which all the
members have voice and each with a
voting power equal to every other,
since no member is permitted to hol1
or vote more than one membership,
regardless of how many he subscribes
for.
The members of the bylaws COM
mittee are w. W. Dykes, T. c. Tillman
and Lovelace Eve.
Two new members were added to
the new Chamber roll todav, thev be-
irg !. j. Dozier and J. A. McCrea, of
Plains