Year Book of Jehovah's Witnesses - Watchtower Archive

94 Yearbook
in these last days. We observe from the annual report
of the branch servant that there has been a
34 per cent increase in the number of publishers
serving the interests of the Kingdom, a peak of
2,377 being reached. This report brought joy to the
hearts of all the publishers in Austria because it was
proof to them that there are "other sheep" in the
country and that they are being found. The brethren
there have the joy of feeding them.
The branch office not only looks after the organization
of the work in Austria with its five circuits
and 143 companies and many pioneers, but it has
also undertaken the responsibility of doing considerable
printing. The branch office now publishes 76,000
copies of The Watchtower and 270,000 of the Awake!
magazine each year in addition to 50,000 booklets
and hundreds of thousands of handbills and other
printed matter. In spite of the difficult handicaps
and the growing indifference of the people toward
life in general, it is certainly good to see Theocracy's
increase in Austria. The branch servant sets out a
few of the high lights of the year, telling us some of
their joys and ditticulties.
The Watchtower has been a steady encouragement and is
very much appreciated by all as the food from the Lord's
table. It gives us a vision of the expansion of true worship,
and is an impulse to push on with the work. Many new
brethren have joined the old ranks, as 523 not only symbolized
their consecration by water immersion, but started the
work straightway.
Although we have not reached our goal of pioneers, as
not yet 10 per cent of the publishers have become full-time
workers, we are glad that we had 82 pioneers in the field
last month. Some vacation pioneers have asked for application
forms in order to let the general pioneer work now
take the first place in their life. As there are still many
places in Austria where the good news has never been
preached before, or at least not during the past fifteen years,
there is still much room for more pioneers.
We placed 206,464 books and booklets. That is not so
many as last year, but we placed 333,745 magaZines, and
that is three times as many as last year. This is due mainly