For September, 1922 



271 



While it was generally agreed that the resolution submitted by 

 the Western Pennsylyania Branch contained some excellent ideas 

 and that it was most desirable to secure as much co-operation as 

 possible between the Garden Clubs and the Association, neverthe- 

 less, it was questioned by some whether the Garden Clubs, as a 

 whole, would really accept the proffer of having the Association 

 provide a free lecturer to speak on its aims and purposes. The 

 Garden Clubs, it was said, already had a long list of lecturers from 

 which they chose and paid well for. It was also suggested that 

 the National Association of Gardeners is hardly in a position to 

 stand the expense of what is proposed in the resolution. The 

 experience is referred to when, in the earlier days of the Asso- 

 ciation, printed lectures were distributed among the Garden Clubs, 

 and they were welcotne, but after a while interest in them ceased. 

 One of the arguments were that something for nothing is never 

 appreciated and that the Garden Clubs are always willing to pay 

 for lecturers. It was tinally moved to accept the resolution and 

 lay it on the table. Carried. 



President Cameron appointed as a committee to draw up a res- 

 olution on the deceased members Mr. Craig, Mr. Barnet and Mr. 

 Downer. 



On the coiTimittee to draw up final resolution*, Mr. Michie, 

 Mr. Mackintosh and Mr. Stewart were appointed. 



The meeting then adjourned to meet .".gain in the afternoon. 



ADJOURNMENT 



Wednesd.^y Afternoon Session 



The meeting was called to order at 2 ;25 P. M.. Robert Cameron, 

 president, presiding. 



The President: Will the meeting please come to order? The 

 first business for this afternoon is the action on amendments to 

 the By-Laws, which Mr. Downer will read for you. 



Mr. Downer then read the amendments to the By-Laws which 

 were suggested relative to the Reserve Fund. 



We, the undersigned Branches of the National Association of 

 Gardeners, being of the opinion that the increase in the life 

 membership dues will act as a deterrent to the increase of the Re- 

 serve Fund and also being of the opinion that this Fund should 

 be materially increased each year, do respectfully petition that 

 the following amendments be made to Article \TI of our By- 

 Laws. 



Article ^TI 



Change Section I to read : 



Section I. All moneys collected from life-membership dues 

 shall be placed in the RcsiVi'c Fund. 



.\dd Sections II, III, 1\' and V to read: 



Section II. Ten per cent of all moneys collected from active, 

 associate, and sustaining membership dues shall be placed in the 

 Reserve Fund. 



Section III. All investments of the Association shall be con- 

 sidered a part of the Reserve Fund. 



Section IV. Yearly interest accruing on the Reserve Fund shall 

 lie applicable to the fund, or the whole or any part of said yearly 

 interest may be extended for specified purposes on the advice of 

 the Trustees subject to the approval of the Association at its 

 Annual Convention. 



Section V. The principal of the Reserve Fund shall be held 

 intact. 



-\pproved by the Newport Branch, March 22, 1922. 



Approved by the Boston Branch, June 30, 1922. 



-Approved by the St. Louis Branch. September 1, 1922. 



Ne.\l MoCallum made a motion that the amendments just 

 read_ by Mr. Downer be added to the By-Laws. Seconded aiid 

 carried. 



Mr. Dower than read the amendments to the By-Laws for the 

 Local Branches. 



Article VIII 



Loc-\L Br.^nches 



Rules .\xd Regul.^tions 



Section 1, The object of the local branch is to establish a 

 closer contact between the individual member and the main organ- 

 ization, and to spread a better knowledge of the aims and objects 

 of the National Association of Gardeners among non-meinber 

 gardeners and others interested in Horticulture. 



Section 2. Six or more members of the National Association 

 of Gardeners may organize and form a local branch designating 

 the branch after the district in which thev are located. 



Section 3. On organization each branch shall appoint a chair- 

 man and a secretary, and notify the secretary of the National 

 Association of Gardeners of their action giving the names of the 

 officers and the number of members composing the branch. 



Section 4. Meetings shall be held as the members may de- 



termine and may be of an informal character. Non-meinbers pres- 

 ent may enter into discussions but cannot vote on any question. 



Section 5. Each branch shall be entitled to send a delegate to 

 the Aimual Conventions of the Association. Any branch unable 

 to send a delegate owing to distance or other causes may be 

 represented by a member of another branch. 



Section 6. A delegate on arising to address the Convention 

 shall preface his remarks by stating the name of, and the number 

 of members in the branch he represents. 



Section 7. Applications for membership in the National Associa- 

 tion of Gardeners coming from a district in wdiich a local branch 

 is organized must have the endorsement of that branch. 



Section 8. It shall be the duty of committees appointed on im- 

 portant matters at the convention to ascertain, through correspond- 

 ence with the secretaries of the local branches, the sentiiuent of 

 the members on the matter in question and base their reports on 

 the consensus of opinion so obtained. 



.Approved by the Newport Branch, March 22, 1922. 



Approved by the Boston Branch, June 30, 1922. 



Approved by the St. Louis Branch, September 1, 1922. 



W. N. Cr.'MG : There is a diversity of opinion regarding one or 

 two clauses here. Some members have the idea that a delegate 

 going from a branch to a convention represents the full power at 

 that convention in voting, and this is something that we cannot 

 possibly tolerate. 



A member going, say, from Newport to the convention and 

 speaking for forty or fifty incmbers, should not he delegated to 

 cast forty or fifty votes. We cannot tolerate that. We ought to 

 give them some voting power. What it is, is for us to determine, 

 but it cannot be the number of the meinbers in that branch. 



Mr. Rogers : I don't see why a member should be misled to 

 think that they have sixty or seventy votes from any local 

 branch. There is nothing in these By-Laws to determine that, as 

 Mr. Craig says, but my opinion of it was when it came up in the 

 local liranch in Boston, that a meiuber if delegated when he rose 

 to speak in a convention, would preface his remarks by stating 

 how many he represented. 



For instance, if a question came up in a local branch which was 

 to be debated at the convention, when the delegate from that local 

 branch got up to speak he would tell wdiether that was a unan- 

 nuous vote of the local branch or if it w-as divided, and if so, how 

 many were for it and how many were against it. 



Mv opinion was that it would have a tendency to influence the 

 members in the convention as to what the majority thought of that 

 issue, and I think it is a good thing in that sense. I don't mean 

 that he should get away with sixty or seventy votes, I think that is 

 an outrage. 



Mr. Stew.nrt : I think it would be advisable on our part to 

 decide right away how much power we really should give, the per- 

 centage according to the numbers in a local branch." I feel that 

 local branches ought to have a little more power than they have, 

 and by giving them a percentage of the number, as has been 

 argued by several of our members privately, it would increase the 

 mterest and get some outsiders to get hold of the afifairs of the 

 Association. 



Mr. Downer: I\Ir. President, this point occurred to me: Sup- 

 pose you had a local branch of forty members and you decided, 

 we will say from a talking standpoint, that von wotjld give one 

 delegate to ten memhers, therefore, that branch would be entitled 

 to send four delegates. 



Suppose the local branch discusses some subject and the opin- 

 ion is not unanimous. You may have thirty for it and ten against 

 It m the branch meeting. What would yoii do about representing 

 the majority? You couldn't send four delegates liere if there 

 were ten against it. 



Mr. B.\rnet: If four delegates choose to coiue here of their 

 own will they could still cast four votes. 



Member: Is there anything in those regulations regarding 

 voting?^ We are not discussing that. The article as read has 

 nothing to say about voting. 



The President: This has come from the outside and we want 

 to get it straightened out. 



Mr. Stu-Vrt : I have thought this over quite a little. What T 

 came here to listen to today was what the branches already 

 formed want. What vote do they want? I imagine what they 

 get today is prettv nearly nothing. 



What I would like to see is iiist a little power for the branches, 

 between the branches and the Board of Directors, say the branches 

 would recommend something to the Board of Directors to work on, 

 and the Board of Directors would take it up and recommend it to 

 the annual convention. Give them a little authority to do some- 

 thmg. not the power to vote. I think that voting power isn't of 

 inuch count when it coines to the final analysis. Give them some 

 mterest in the Association. I think if the Directors would write 

 to those branches and ask for suggestions regarding the Associa- 

 tion from time to time, ask those branches what they have been 

 domg m the last quarter, what that particular branch has been 



