The Supreme Council of the Russian Independent Mutual Aid Society held a special meeting on Thursday, February 15. After the routine business, such as the reading of the minutes of the last meeting, reading the mail, checking the sick and death benefit reports, and going over the reports of the executive committee, the Supreme Council debated the question of calling the twenty-third convention of the councils of all the branches of the Society. It was decided to call the convention on May 19 and 20, 1934, in Chicago. It was also decided to call the meeting of the executive committee on Thursday, February 22, in order to discuss some important matters in connection with the twenty-third convention.

One of the topics of discussion of the Supreme Council was the question of acquiring a community farm, which would serve as a place of refuge for aged members of the Society, and as a shelter for the orphans of deceased members. It was agreed that the farm should be near Chicago, and should be so appointed 2as to serve conveniently as a summer rest resort for members of the organization. The question of the farm will be brought before the twenty-third convention and will receive full recommendation of the Supreme Council.

As to the question of the consolidation of this Society with the Russian United Mutual Aid Society, the Supreme Council announced itself in full accord with the idea, in view of the fact that it does not pay for the Russian mutual aid organizations to carry on their work separately, when better results can be obtained by the united action of the various mutual aid organizations. The Supreme Council confirmed the old declaration on the merger, prepared by the organization committee of the Society, and approved by the executive committee of the organization. The declaration reads as follows:

"The union of the Russian Independent Mutual Aid Society and the Russian United Mutual Aid Society has not taken place before now because the R.I.M.A.S. did not want to lose the present seat of its home office or its present name.

To achieve the union it was necessary for the R.I.M.A.S. to make an important concession. The other Society was ready to accept Chicago as the seat of the home office of the organization after the merger, as desired by the R.I.M.A.S., but it insisted that the R.I.M.A.S. accept the name of the Russian United Mutual Aid Society as the name for the merged organization. As an alternative, that Society was willing to accept the name of the Russian Independent Mutual Aid Society as the name for the new organization, but demanded that its home office be not in Chicago but in New York."

Such was the proposition of the Russian United Mutual Aid Society presented last year to the R.I.M.A.S. regarding the merger. This year the organization committee of the R.I.M.A.S., together with the executive committee, has decided to make some concessions. In the main, the R.I.M.A.S. agrees to the condition that the Russian United Mutual Aid Society transfer its name to the new organization, and the seat of the consolidated organization be Chicago. The reason for retaining Chicago as the headquarters of the new organization is the fact that Chicago is a geographical center of this country 4and, therefore, more convenient as a central point for our activities, which cover the entire United States. This decision, according to the statement of the executive committee of the R.I.M.A.S., was sent to the home office of the R.I.M.A.S., but up to the present there has been no reply. One can hope, however, that the merger of the two largest Russian organization of mutual aid is near. The coming twenty-third convention of the councils of all the branches of the Russian Independent Mutual Aid Society will, no doubt, approve this important decision of the Supreme Council of the R.I.M.A.S.