Establishment of an old-age fund for members was hotly debated here yesterday at the second session of the convention of the Progressive Order of the West. After an entire afternoon’s discussion the resolution was adopted by a majority vote. It must now be submitted to members for a referendum vote.
A. D. Bearman, of Memphis, Grand Master of the Progressive Order of the West, who is presiding over the present biennial session, is expected to be reelected without opposition.
The convention, which is the twenty-eighth in the history of the society, opened last Sunday morning at the Netherlands Plaza Hotel, attended by more than 200 delegates from 90 lodges scattered throughout the United States. An opening message by Grand Master Bearman and the annual report by Grand Secretary Morris Shapiro featured yesterday’s session.
Bearman, in a comprehensive review, urged the consolidation of smaller lodges with the Progressive Order of the West He also asked that a program of social activities be initiated, and he recommended the abolition of the present system of relief for the sick and distressed.
Conditions in Germany and the problems of Palestine were also discussed by Bearman. He asserted it is of paramount importance for the order to cooperate in building up Palestine.
According to the report made by Shapiro, the capital of the lodge is $646,674.55. The total income for the last two years, he reported, was $384,715.32. Disbursements for the same period were $368,096.43. Membership, he stated, was at 8,000, and 419 members had died in the last two years.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
