coal trade bulletin - Clpdigital.org

22
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
The motion to refer to a referendum vote of the
membership was carried.
The first action of the convention Jan. 31 was
to refuse to change the initiation fee as provided
in four resolutions.
Section 25, Article XIV of the constitution, on
recommendation of the committee, amended to
read as follows:
"No local union shall be allowed, for any reason
or purpose, to divide its funds among its members,
nor make donations to strikes unless said
strikes have been endorsed by the American Federation
of Labor or an affiliated organization. Any
local using its fund for other than legitimate purposes,
shall be fined double the amount so used,
the fine to be collected by the district and turned
over to the International secretary-treasurer."
This amendment bars the Industrial World Workers
from receiving financial support from the
miners.
At the afternoon session, Delegate Farrington,
chairman of the committee, stated that in the
printed report of the committee in the amended
section regarding representation the words "International
organizers" had been
ADDED TO THE LIST
of officers not eligible to election as delegates, and
it should also have been added that they will not
only be debarred from running as International
delegates, but if the committee's report is adopted
by referendum vote of the membership that they
will not have any privileges whatever in International
conventions.
Section IS of Article XV was amended so as to
provide that no transfer cards from foreign organizations
will lie accepted unless the foreign
card is "Issued by the Internalional Mining Congress,"
or by the miners' unions of Australia and
New Zealand.
The question of handling strike funds came up
and the constitution committee offered an entire
new section. No. 7. to Article XIX, as follows:
"The "International secretary-treasurer shall de
vise a uniform system of accounting for the use
of financial agents handling strike funds I'or the
International union, and it shall be the duty ot
tbe traveling auditors employed in the district
where the strike prevails, or such person as may
be authorized by the International president, to
audit the accounts of the financial agent at least
every quarter of the period of tbe strike, or as
often as the Internaiional secretary-treasurer may
consider an audit necessary, and a final audit must
he made when the strike is ended, and the auditor
making such audits shall file a report of each audit
with the International secretary-treasurer, who in
turn shall submit them to the membership in his
financial report."
The International auditors offered a substitute
and the matter was under debate when the convention
adjourned.
Debate was resumed Feb. 2.
President White called the attention ot the delegates
to the fact that there was so much disturbance
in the hall that the work of the convention
was interfered with. He requested the delegates
to observe the rules they had adopted to govern
the convention and not prolong the meeting unnecessarily
at an enormous
EXPEN.SK TO THE .MEN
at home. He stated that but one delegate could
be recognized at a time and the chair was perfectly
impartial in recognizing delegates as they
arose.
Delegate Farrington, chairman of the committee,
made a reply at some length to a charge that
had been made by Auditor Mossop in the previous
session and read from the minutes of the International
Executive Board the action that had been
taken by that body in legard to the auditors.
President White made a statement explaining
the reason the International president had made
tbe recommendation to the board to define the duties
of the auditors and explained in detail the
methods that had been employed in looking after
finances in strike fields.
Secretary Green discussed the question at some
length, and explained the methods used in his
office for looking after the work of the organization.
Delegate Donaldson made an extended statement
of the position of the International auditors in presenting
the resolution and later the substitute for
the new section offered by the -ommittee. Tabulated
statements of various matters were read by-
Delegate Donaldson and President White, and letters
in regard to the question were read by Delegate
Donaldson.
A viva voce vote was taken on the motion to
adopt the substitute offered by Donaldson.
The chair being unable to decide, asked for a
rising vote. A rising vote was had, which resulted
in 395 votes being cast in the affirmative
and 550 in the negative.
The committee's new section was adopted.
Another new section, No. 8, was proposed by the
committee and adopted. It reads:
"Any member leaving a locality where a strike
is in progress, goes to work
IN ANOTHER LOCALITY
and remains away one month or more, shall not be
entitled to strike benefits if he returns to the strike
zone while the strike is on."
Article XX was amended by adding a new section,
No. 8, as follows:
"Sick and accident and death benefit funds may