| Receipts. | |
| Balance San Francisco Relief contributions | $432,037.33 |
| Balance Chinese Famine Fund | 5,046.78 |
| Balance Russian Famine Fund | 862.43 |
| Balance interest accumulations | 46,841.90 |
| Contributions: | |
| Chinese Famine Fund | .75 |
| Calabrian Earthquake Fund | 233.60 |
| Monongah Mines Fund | 3,789.69 |
| Interest on bank balances, all special funds | 12,876.70 |
| Total | $521,689.18 |
| Disbursements. | |
| San Francisco Relief | $199,835.00 |
| Calabrian Earthquake Relief | 233.60 |
| Monongah Mines Relief | 3,782.11 |
| By transfer to General Emergency Fund: | |
| Chinese Famine Relief Fund (closed) | 5,047.53 |
| Russian Famine Relief Fund (closed) | 862.43 |
| Monongah Mines Relief Fund (closed) | 7.58 |
| Total | $209,768.25 |
| Balance December 1, 1908 | 311,920.93 |
| $521,689.18 | |
ADMINISTRATION FUND.
FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE RED CROSS
Preceding the annual meeting a meeting of the Central Committee was held and the proposed revision of the by-laws discussed. The Committee voted unanimously in favor of the revision.
The morning session of the Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Red Cross was held on Tuesday, December 8th, at the Hubbard Memorial Hall. It was presided over by the Chairman of the Central Committee, Major General George W. Davis. At this meeting reports were read from the Branches, the subject of the Christmas stamp was taken up and an interesting address on the Assistance of the Press was made by Mr. Leigh Mitchell Hodges, of the Philadelphia North American. The revision of the by-laws was informally discussed. The officers, incorporators and branch delegates were kindly entertained at luncheon by the First Assistant Secretary of State and Mrs. Bacon.
Hon. William H. Taft, President of the American Red Cross, presided at the regular session in the afternoon. Besides the reports that are given elsewhere the most important work of the session was the adoption with a few minor changes of the revised by-laws as presented by the Central Committee. The report of the officers and those on Red Cross work are somewhat long so that the publication of the new by-laws will be given in the April Bulletin, but any one desiring a copy will receive one on application to Red Cross Headquarters.
Mr. Taft, greatly to the satisfaction of the Society, consented to be re-elected President, and Mr. Robert W. De Forest, of New York, was elected to the newly-created office of Vice-President. Mr. Ernest P. Bicknell was appointed October 1st, National Director, and the other officers were all re-elected. To fill four vacancies among the Charter Members, John M. Glenn, Henry Stockbridge, Robert W. De Forest and Mrs. Douglas Robinson were elected. The two new members of the Central Committee elected were: Hon. H. Kirke Porter and Mr. John M. Glenn. Mr. John C. Pegram and Miss Mabel T. Boardman were re-elected on this Committee.
As the new by-laws provided that those who have rendered specially meritorious or distinguished service to the association and have been approved for such distinction by two-thirds vote of the members present at any annual meeting shall become honorary members, three names for this honorary membership were proposed, President Roosevelt being at that time the only honorary member of the Society. Those proposed were the Honorable William H. Taft, who since the re-organization of the American Red Cross has been its President and who has always, in spite of being a very busy man, has given his time and assistance to the Red Cross to its great advantage, was the first name proposed. Because of the work she did during the Civil War in the Sanitary Commission, that precursor of the Red Cross, and because of her generous aid in the way of a large contribution to the Endowment Fund of the American Red Cross Mrs. Russell Sage’s was the second name proposed. Dr. Louis Klopsch, Editor of the Christian Herald, during the great famines in Japan and China, raised very large funds for the purposes of relief, amounting to considerably over half a million of dollars, besides collecting moneys for the purchase of food supplies which were forwarded to China, and who sent these generous contributions through the American Red Cross, was the third person proposed for honorary membership in the American Red Cross. Mr. Taft on the proposal of his name made the request that it be withdrawn, as he had consented to stand for re-election as President of the Red Cross, and preferred to consider himself still an active, rather than an honorary member. At this request his name was withdrawn and Mrs. Sage and Dr. Klopsch were unanimously elected honorary members of the American Red Cross.