and an inventory within each com-
munity of work for individuals and
business organizations which would
be required to be done after the
cessation of hostilities, during the
period of hesitancy and reconver-
sion. A recent post card poll of Ro-
tary clubs in Canada and the United
States, designed to learn the status
of the Work Pile project, showed
that in 73% of the replying clubs
the Work Pile was in process of be-
ing built or was about to be built.
Not to be overlooked are certain
by-product assets resulting from
_ the Work Pile activities of Rotary
clubs, such as a higher sense of
unity developed among the citizenry
of the community, a closer and
more understanding relationship
between the farmers and the city
businessmen, a broader understand-
ing of social and economic questions
on the: part of high school and col-
lege students who participated in
the survey, and new vision on the
part of the public concerning the
tremendous resources the commu-
nity has for sustaining itself during
the reconversion period.

Perhaps the most important is the
arousing of the citizenry to the fact
that every family in the community
has a responsibility for, and can
do something about, providing work
which will carry returning service-
men and farmers and dis-employed
civilian workers over the reconver-
sion period through private initia-
tive as contrasted with any system
of “made” work provided by a gov-
ernment.

There has also been a very im-
portant effect on the thinking and
morale of the service men and
women who are learning what their
home communities are doing to
prepare for adequate work for them
when they are demobilized.

Many Clubs Compete for
President's Award

The board of directors initiated a
president’s award to be a citation
to be given to one club in a district,
signifying superiority in carrying on
the Rotary program. Up to the 17th
of May, 72 districts had submitted
entries—56 from districts in con-
tinental United States, 5 from Cana-
da, 1 from Hawaii, 3 from Great
Britain and Ireland, 1 from Puerto
Rico, 1 from Mexico, 1 from Cuba,
1 from Nicaragua, 2 from Australia,
and 1 from India.

Excellent District
Conferences Held

All districts in the USCNB and in
Ibero America, with the exception
of district 42 in Central America,
held district conferences.

It is gratifying to note that dis-
trict 100 in Hawaii held its first
con erence since the attack on Pearl
Harbor in December of 1941. All six
clubs were represented, with an at-
tendance of 353.

In Great Britain and Ireland,
conferences were held where pos-
sible. An outstanding conference
was held by the 70 clubs in the Lon-
don district. Four districts in India
held conferences which were well
attended. Three of the five districts
in the European, North Africa, and
Eastern Mediterranean region held
conferences, and the district in
South Africa held its conference.

Wartime restrictions caused can-
cellation of the conferences in New
Zealand and one of the conferences
in Australia.

Clubs Active in Community
Service and War Work

In the USCNB, Rotary clubs are
engaged in every conceivable type
of war work and community service
activity. There has been more than
usual interest in vocational service,
particularly in the improvement of
standards of correct practices in
business.

In Ibero America, clubs have been
active in all types of community
service usual among Rotary clubs,
and several types particularly
needed in their respective countries
such as construction of highways
and airports through arousing the
interest of governmental authori-
ties, stimulating efforts to combat
tuberculosis and cancer, sanitation,
campaigns to reduce mendicity,
child vagrancy, and so on.

Remarkable Growth in
Eastern Hemisphere

In the Eastern Hemisphere, there
are approximately 850 clubs active
in 25 countries. Latest figures indi-
cate that since July 1 there has
been an increase of more than 1,000
members in these Rotary clubs.

Typical activities are a Rotary
club in Sweden establishing a home
for sick Finnish children, and an-
other club collecting 2,000 books for
prisoners of war; in Egypt, a club

providing free milk for a hundred |.

babies at a hospital, and, through
its efforts, the doubling of free
water facilities in the poorer sec-
tions of the city.

In India, during the recent fam- -

ine, the Rotary Club of Calcutta,
assisted by contributions from other
clubs, provided food for over 40,000
adults and 6,000 babies, as well as
countless pieces of clothing.

TR and AR Circulation at
All-Time High

“The Rotarian” magazine has
constantly grown in value, with the
result that its circulation has like-
wise grown. In April it had an all-
time high of approximately 190,000
subscriptions, of which nearly 17,000

- were special subscriptions for libra-

ries, schools, military camps, non-
Rotarians, and so on.

“Revista Rotaria’s” circulation was
at an all-time high of 23,180, of
which 16,246 were subscriptions by
Ibero American Rotarians — prac-
tically 100% subscriptions on a vol-
untary basis.

Problems Ahead

Successful as has been the year,
there are, nevertheless, problems
confronting the organization. The
very rapid increase in the number
of Rotarians means an added re-
sponsibility upon clubs to see that
these new Rotarians are thoroughly
informed in the principles and pro-
gram of the organization.

There is the very important prob-
lem concerning the re-establish-
ment of Rotary clubs after the war
in regions where they formerly
existed.

There is the problem of increasing
the funds of the Rotary Foundation
so that the great work of the organ-
ization world-wide may go forward
in an ever-increasing manner.

Other problems are more continu-
ity on the board of directors and
R.I. committees, development of a
better understanding of vocational
service and subsequent action there-
on, centralization versus decentrali-
zation in R.I. administration, close
adherence to the fundamental prin-
ciples of the organization, and
provision of permanent headquar-
ters for Rotary.

Rotary Ideals Are Universal

The ideals of Rotary are universal
in their application. Wherever Ro-
tarians are they give evidence of the
usefulness of the program of Ro-
tary. Just the other day there came
to my desk a photograph of a grass
hut just back of the firing line in
New Guinea, on which had been
placed a Rotary emblem asking for
Rotarians to register, and in a short
time a number from different coun-
tries had made their presence
known, with the result that inform-
al Rotary gatherings are held as
the exigencies of war permit, out
in that battle-scarred country. So
wherever Rotarians go they make
known the principles for which the
organization stands. And the
strength of the organization wells
up from the vision and loyal devo-
tion of the Rotarians throughout
the world.