tees have also distributed printed matter bearing upon the cure and prevention of the great white plague. Much space has been given the subject in THE JOURNAL, and, as a result, more careful attention is being given to this question by the membership at large. Our tent colony at the Home and the work we are doing there was forcibly brought to the attention of the public by an exhibit at the International Congress on TuberculoIsis held in Washington, and at which a special committee represented the organization. This exhibit was awarded a diploma by the international congress. There is $892.98 charged to the tuberculosis campaign in this year's report. This total comprises the following:

Red Cross Christmas stamps..
Committee's expenses and exhibit at Inter-
national Congress on Tuberculosis..
Membership fee International Congress on
Tuberculosis

Total

.$100 00

787 98 5 00 .$892 98

OUR MEMBERSHIP.

There has been much said by critics of the International Union concerning the loss in membership experienced during the memorable and It has on successfully waged eight-hour contest.

some occasions been predicted that we could not expect to regain our former membership basis within five years. How gratifying, under these circumstances, is the result of the work of the fiscal year just closed! The increment in members has not been of mushroom growth, but of that solid and steady character which indicates further progress along the same lines in the year we are now entering upon.

The per capita tax payments show an average paying membership of 44,921 for the twelve months ending May 31, 1909. This is an increase of 1,181 over the year 1908 and 2,564 over 1907. In short, the average membership paying per capita tax has only exceeded the figures for the last year on three occasions. Again, the average membership, as shown by the per capita tax collected, is only 59 short of the year 1906, in which the eight-hour fight began, and but 1,812 less than that in 1905, in which the average was the highest in the history of the organization.

On the basis of the last months of the fiscal year-March, April and May-the showing is even more favorable. The March collections of per capita tax represented 48,246 members; April, 45,636, and May, 46,966; making the average paying membership for the quarter year ending May 31, 1909, 46,949, or greater by 215 than the average membership for any fiscal year in the history of the International Union. From a table presented later in this report it will be found that the total membership of all local unions in existence April 30, as shown by the quarterly statements, was 47,174. These figures include the membership of unions chartered in May and stamp the coming year as one in which we can reasonably expect to excel all previous records.

Since assuming the responsibilities of secretarytreasurer I have lost no opportunity to urge upon local unions the necessity of giving especial attention to the reclaiming of delinquent and suspended members. Local officers have been quick to act upon the suggestions made, with the result that many names have been restored to their rosters The and the delinquent list is growing smaller. work of more thorough organization of the cities in which we now have locals can be profitably pushed in the next year. Properly conducted such work should bring greater results in the shape of an increased membership than can be hoped for through the organization of towns wherein unions do not now exist.

The following table shows how the membership during the past year compares with former records: Year.

1891

Receipts to May 31, 1909..

6,188 045 75

1892

1893

1894

Expenditures

1896

Cash balance May 31, 1909.... $258,728 47

1897

Members.

arrearages collected on the eight-hour assessment. The supplies, sundries, etc., column includes receipts from cash returned from the sale of supplies, returned transportation of Home inmates, donations to the Home library fund and + Includes pensions refunded-No. 2, $36; No. 6, $8; No. 17, $20.

The supplies, sundries, etc., column includes receipts from cash returned, from the sale of supplies, returned transportation of Home inmates, donations to the Home library fund, and arrearages collected on the eight-hour assessment,

arrearages collected on the eight-hour assessment. The supplies, sundries, etc., column includes receipts from cash returned, from the sale of supplies, returned transportation of Home inmates, donations to the Home library fund, and