12.
4.
Association's regulations, obey resolutions passed by the majority, and are introduced by two members", as well as being approved by the association's executive committee.
(f) Membership may be for life (one donation of $50 only), by firms
(one donation of $10 and a yearly subscription of $10), or for individuals (one donation of $5 and a yearly subscription of $5). There is also provision for the receipt of additional voluntary donations, e.g. by wealthy members, should they be offered. (Note: there have been very considerable voluntary donations of this sort given in cash, kind and services in all the Kaifong Welfare Associations).
(g) Supreme power to be vested in the members' General Meeting which
ordinarily only meets once a year. Its principal duties at these yearly meetings are to pass or reject any proposed amendments to the constitution, to elect by secret ballot the executive and supervisory committees and principal officers for the forthcoming year, and to determine all general questions of policy and finance.
(h) The Executive Committee to be a comparatively large body elected
for one year and which in its turn shall elect from itself the powerful Standing Executive Committee of 21. (The Chairman of the Executive Committee is elected as such by the General Meeting and is ex officio the Chairman of the Standing Executive Committee: he is the Association's principal official representative, spokesman and chief executive).
(i) A Supervisory Committee of not more than 15 members to be elected
for one year and to be responsible for checking all financial transactions and for enquiring into the faithfulness and zeal with which the Executive Committee carries out the Association's affairs. (Note: in practice election to the Supervisory Committee usually means honourable recognition for elderly or exceptionally busy members who cannot be expected to serve more than once, if ever, on the Executive Committee but whose advice and goodwill are valued).
(j) Special provisions for the election, appointment or employment as
the case may be of various Honorary Advisers or Officers, Vice- Chairmen, a Treasurer, Secretaries, Clerks, and members or co-opted members of sub-committees.
(k) Receipt, care and expenditure of the Association's funds to be
properly conducted in accordance with the regulations laid down in the constitution.
Further developments.
Four to five months before the Shamshuipo Kaifong Welfare Association was formally inaugurated the Chinese Press had interested itself in this experiment, and had enthusiastically written it up as soon as it became apparent that other districts were beginning to follow Shamshuipo's example. Only the communistic Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Pao tended to ignore the whole matter, but even such reports as they carried for the next two years were meant to be objective and were never hostile. A few off-the-record conversa- tions were held between senior members of the S..0. and representatives of the Chinese Press when the latter seemed to be getting on a dangerously wrong track; these never appeared in print, and as far as Chinese newspaper readers were concerned all their information came either from the Kaifong Welfare Associations' officers or from records of public speeches made at formal kaifong meetings. The English Press has on the whole remained silent.
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