5 Great Ormond st [in pencil on outer]
MINUTES OF COMMITTEE MEETING
held at
5 Gt. Ormond Street
Monday, Jan. 20th 1937, at 7.30p.m.
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Present: Arloff, Burke Calnan, Cox, Cuthbertson, I. Seruya.
Absent: Wise, Cecilia Gralnick, Dr. MacKenzie, Charles Galnick.
CHAIRMAN: Calnan. (Proposed Cox, Seconded Cuthbertson)
No Minutes of the previous committee meeting were available, therefore the matter had to waived.
Correspondence dealt with at end of meeting:
After some discussion as to whether Mrs. Seruya, as a co-trustee (signs cheques) had a place on the committee, it was decided to the contrary, and at the request of the chairman she then left. At the time of retiring, she submitted that although not a member of the committee, anything she had done in connection with the league during the year had been at the request of the committee members.
The immediate issue discussed was the putting of the committee upon a proper basis, as the powers of committee members present at the film section meeting on December 21st had been questioned. in a letter from one of the secretaries. It was agreed that no committee meeting as such had been officially called since the Spring. (1936). Cuthbertson was elected (unan.) as minutes secretary of the evening.
Recommendations to the committee of the group meetings of January 4th and 18th were read and debated, as a result of which
i No more meetings to be held at 5 Gt. Ormond St., and notice accepted. (Proposed Burke, seconded Cuthbertson.)
ii Property of the league to be temporarily stored by members as follows: still section, Calnan (central;) films, spools, cutting machines, winders, crockery, etc., Mrs. Seruya (Hampstead;) timber from dark room, Burke; correspondence , paper files and office stationary, Cuthbertson (central.) Sink had to be left, needing plumber to disconnect.
iii Cuthbertson elected interim secretary until A.~G.M.
iv Date for ann gen meeting, Saturday Feb. 13th, at 3.00pm (Ross, Cox, seconded Arloff, unan.)
v Secretary to notify members and arrange for room.
After discussion it was unanimously agreed that, owing to shortage of funds, and no immediate necessity arising, no purpose was served in taking a room before A.G.M Recommendations of the group meetings above referred to, as to the agenda of the A.G.M., were adjusted, namely:
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i Minutes of previous meeting.
ii Correspondence.
iii Treasurer’s report
iv Secretary’s report
v Election of committee and officers
vi Constitution
vi Any other business
Burke raised question of the method of investment of funds, and proposed that a detailed report of the situation should be embodied with the treasurer’s report at the A.G.M.
The treasurer reported that the £75 in the current account (C.W.S. bank) was going quickly, and exhausted in July or August. In June or July he first became aware of a deposit of £170 in the Moscow Norodny Bank, and that it did not appear in the books before then. At one time there was an intention of investing in the Russian loans, but at a former group meeting during “some date in September” when the following members were said to be present: – Wise, Cox, Mrs. Seruya, I. Seruya, – £130 was transferred to capitalise International Sound Films, with right to recall in March 1937, under stamped agreement. Cox said that the matter of investing this money had been discussed at other meetings: I. Seruya was the only other committee member present who was aware of this, indeed, of those present only S.Seruya and the treasurer (Cox) knew of the actual September transaction until Dec. 21st or later. Cuthbertson, Arloff, Burke and Calnan confirmed. In reply to Cuthbertson, who asked who were I.S.F., the owner was reported as being I. Seruya, with advisory committee as on notepaper. Cuthbertson pleaded that the production of the society should not have been obstructed by the locking-up of the whole of its funds, leaving it in debt.
Burke asked why the transference of the whole of our funds in a new and speculative venture had not even been reported to committee members, or a meeting called; I. Seruya suggested that the difficulty only arose out of the misunderstanding as to what constituted the committee. Members expressed the opinion that the Monday evening committee obviously ceased to function in the Spring, the usual film group being open to any member who cared to turn up. It was therefore imperative that for important business a committee should have been summoned.
Arloff proposed that the transference of funds should be referred to the A.G.M., but the chairman pointed out that this would not be the proper occasion for the investigation of finance. Burke was of the opinion that in such an important matter the whole membership should have been consulted. Cox recommended that a minority report could be submitted. In answer to the question as to whether minutes were kept, reference to the record book of the group meetings showed them to be blank from July 12th to October 5th. In reply to Burke, as to what to do if in March the I.S.F. funds were tied up in apparatus so that the money could not be repaid, the treasurer stated that distraint could be made upon stock.
Proposed I.Seruya (seconded Cuthbertson) that the transference of funds should be reported at the A.G.M., (Carried unam.) and put forward for their confirmation.
Correspondence: A letter from the F.S.U. submitted at the end of meeting. The first part of this, re vacating room, had already been dealt with; the remainder, re payment of rent, was referred to the treasurer.
[signed]
C. Calnan – Chairman
Note: A later reference to the original notes of the officers and committee, indicates that I. Seruya is not included on the official committee and officers.
M. Burke
Frank H W Cox
Hugh Cuthbertson – secretary
Proposed H.S.C. [Cuthbertson] seconded Cox (unam.) that all members who had paid their subscriptions at or since the last A.G.M. should be entitled to vote in the coming A.G.M.
