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The affairs of the Society subsequent to the Berkeley meetings, insofar as they have involved policy or financial decisions, have been conducted by the Executive Committee and the Council, and, in the case of the elections and the vote on the affiliation of the Society for the Study of Social Problems, by mail balloting of the membership. The Council voted that the official record of its proceedings should not, in general, be expanded to include a report of matters discussed but not acted upon, nor should the record include the names of unsuccessful as well as successful candidates in Council elections. Budget. On December 1, 1953, the Executive Committee authorized an interim continuation of the budget at the 1953 level, and on Jan. 20, 1954, upon the recommendation of the Budget Committee the Council voted approval of the 1954 budget. This included an extraordinary request from the Executive Office for a new mimeograph machine which was specifically approved. This new machine replaces an early American model which first saw service in a government office during World War I, and the Secretary felt that the membership would be glad to know of this additional step toward the modernization of the Society. On June 30, 1954, the Council voted a continuation of the 1954 budget with no major revisions.

The first meeting of the 1954 Council was called to order on September 7, 1954, at 10:00 a.m. The following members of the 1954 Council were present: James Barnett, Howard Becker, Howard Beers, Jessie Bernard, Leonard Broom, W. Fred Cottrell, Thomas Eliot, Robert Fads, Charles Hutchinson, Everett Hughes, Katharine Jocher, Harvey Locke, Harry Moore, Ira Reid, John Riley, Matilda Riley, ex officio; Donald Young, Florian Znaniecki. The following members of the 1955 Council were also able to be present: Herbert Blumer, William Cole, Kingsley Davis, Mabel Elliott, William Koib, Stuart Queen, Weilman Warner. The Secretary's report of the interim aclions taken by the Council and the Executive Committee since the last meeting of the Society was read and accepted. Prompted by the item that a new Secretary had been elected, the Council voted thanks and appreciation to the present incumbent for his services to the Society. The Chairman of the Research Committee was instructed to present an abstract of his report to the membership meeting, and in addition it was voted to recommend to the new Council and to the Research Committee that steps be taken to encourage the development of research by individuals and in the smaller colleges and universities. It was further voted to recommend to the 1955 Council that it consider a changed format or possibly the elimination of the Annual Census of Research after the year 1955.

The article presents proceedings of the 47th annual meeting of the American Sociological Society, held at Atlantic city, New Jersey in September 1952. The first meeting of the Council was called to order at 10 a.m. on September 2, 1952 by the President of the Society.. The general procedure for the conduct of the Council, as provided by the Constitution, was outlined, and it was informally agreed that a brief statement on the relationship between the meetings of the Council and of the general membership should be prepared for the first membership meeting. The minutes of the last meeting of the Council, held in Chicago on September 7, 1951, which have subsequently been published in the journal "American Sociological Review" as part of the records of the Society, were approved as therein reported. The matters which were pending from that meeting were reviewed and placed upon the agenda. The third meeting of the Council was called to order at 3:30 p.m. on September 3 by the President of the Society.

The first business meeting of the American Sociological Society was held at 11:00 A.M. in the Gold Room, The Manhattan Center, on Thursday, December 29, with President Talcott Parsons presiding. Parsons summarized the activities of the Reorganization Committee of 1949 and the formation of the new Reorganization Committee of 1950 together with the grant from the Carnegie Corp. which makes possible the creation of an Executive Office. The minutes of the first three Executive Committee meetings, held in the past two days, were read by the Secretary, and were approved. The President then called upon Carl Taylor to report on proposed changes in the constitution and by-laws and to introduce motions for their acceptance. The first amendment pertaining to Article IV, Section I, was accepted by the Society after brief description by Parsons that such a measure would bring about better continuity in the official personnel of the Society. The second proposed amendment, Article VI, Section 2, had been divided into two parts, a and b, when it was considered by the Executive Committee. Taylor explained that these parts were to be considered separately.

The affairs of the American Sociological Society subsequent to its last Annual Meeting, insofar as they involved major policy and financial decisions, have been conducted by the Executive Committee and the Council, and in the case of the elections, by a mail ballot of the membership. In view of the fact that the time of the Council meeting preceded the final 1952 Business meeting, all actions taken by the Council were subject to ratification by mail ballot of all members. These were duly approved in September and became part of the record. The Executive Committee, on the recommendation of the Executive Office, voted to authorize the President to undertake preliminary negotiations with the Russell Sage Foundation for a joint project to publish a series of bulletins of professional interest. The President, in turn, instructed the Executive Office to pursue the matter, and it is hoped that a plan will be ready for action at the Berkeley meeting.

The first meeting of the 1953 Council was called to order on August 29, 1953, at 10:15 a.m. by American Sociological Society president A. W. Stouffer, with the following members present: Herbert Blumer, Florian Znaniecki, Robert E. L. Fans, Leonard S. Cottrell Jr., Dorothy S. Thomas, Read Bain, Robin M. Williams Jr., Philip M. Hauser, Calvin F. and many others. The Council continued its work through lunch, whereupon the reports from the Editor and the Secretary were heard and accepted. It was moved and voted to appoint a committee to make policy proposals to the Council regarding the receipt of gifts and the issuance of awards by the Society. This committee was also instructed to consider means of stimulating interest in awards which may be open to competition. In regard to the Maclver Award, it was voted to defer any award for the coming year and to instruct the new committee to reconsider the details of the award and to report its recommendations back to the Council. The Council reaffirmed the policy that all committee reports should be reported in the pages of the "American Sociological Review," altough the Secretary was empowered to condense such reports wherever necessary in the interest of saving space. The Secretary was also authorized to make similar condensations of re- ports at the Business meetings of the Society.

The first meeting of the American Sociological Society Executive Committee was held on December 27 at 10:00 A.M., with Talcott Parsons presiding. Members present were Kimball Young, Raymond Bowers, Donald Young, Conrad Taeuber, Cecil North, Harrington Brearley, Franklin Frazier, Alvin Good, Philip Hauser, Louis Wirth and Dorothy Thomas. Parsons reported briefly on several developments which had occurred during the year: The election of a new 1950 Reorganization Committee by mail ballot of the Executive Committee, on the basis of the recommendation of the 1949 Reorganization Committee. The 1950 committee is larger and more geographically representative; the events leading up to the moving of the Society's office to New York, and the establishment of the Executive Office with a part time paid Executive Officer; the request by the Society to Carnegie Corp. for a grant to support reorganizational activities of the Society. This request was granted by Carnegie Corp., and $10,000 was appropriated to the Society for this purpose; the events leading up to the decision to hold the 1949 meetings in conjunction with the AAAS.

The American Sociological Society's Delegate to the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has, during the course of the year, taken steps to inform itself concerning the current programs and policies of the Council. This has involved several informal meetings with knowledgeable persons and also attendance, together with the Secretary of the Society, Wellman Warner, at the annual meeting of the Council which was held this year in Indianapolis, Indiana. By way of a preliminary report to the Council of this Society, the following observations may be made: There appears to be ample basis for a viable and significant organizational relationship between this Society and the ACLS. The intellectual connections between the humanities and the social sciences are complex and increased academic communication needs to be encouraged. The ACLS is currently sponsoring several programs of immediate interest to the members of this Society such as grants-in-aid of research, fellowships, and support of international congresses.

Donald Young, as President-Elect, asked this Committee to prepare recommendations to the Council in anticipation of the need to elect a new editor of the Review. The Committee proceeded on the assumption that the editor performs functions of vital concern to all the membership. Therefore he should be a mature, balanced and judicious scholar. Also he must be willing to spend a considerable portion of his time on the work of the Society. Moreover, he should be as representative as possible of the senior membership. Finally, he should be selected in the most democratic way possible under our Constitution and By-Laws. With these principles as guides, the Committee sent a memorandum in December to the 1954 Council. This memorandum suggested a number of points to be considered, including personal qualifications, the availability of assistants, the proximity of a suitable book re- view editor, and the like. The Council members were asked to submit to the Chairman of this Committee by mail their suggestions on the role of the editor in general and on specific candidates.

The first Business Meeting of the Society was called to order at 11 a.m. on September 9, 1954. The Minutes of the last meeting, as reported in the December 1953 issue of the "American Sociological Review," were accepted as published. Annual reports from the Secretary, the Editor, and the Executive Officer were heard and will be published in full as part of the proceedings of the Society. The Secretary read the Minutes of the first two meetings of the Council. It was moved, seconded, and voted to lay on the table for one day a recommendation from the Council to eliminate Section 6 of Article IV of the By-Laws. This is to be voted upon at the next Business Meeting of the Society. Reports were then heard from Weilman Warner for the Membership Committee, Elbridge Sibley for the Committee on Awards and Fred Strodtbeck for the Research Committee. Reports were heard from Leonard Cottrell for the Committee on Training and Professional Standards, August Hollingshead for the Consultation Committee and the Publications Committee, W. Seward Salisbury for the Committee on Liaison with the National Council for the Social Studies.

The article presents minutes of the business meetings of the American Sociological Society. The first business meeting of the Society was called to order at 11:00 a.m. on September 4, 1952, by the President of the Society. The minutes of the last meeting as reported in the December 1951 "Review" were accepted as published. The President commented briefly on the first activities of the council under the new Constitution, pointing out that the Council is "the permanent governing body of the Society" and that at the general meetings of the membership "the officers and the council shall report to the Society and any business of the Society may be transacted." The second business meeting of the Society was called to order at 11:00 a.m. on September 5, 1952. The minutes of the first business meeting and of the third meeting of the Council as reported by the secretary were accepted. After debate the three amendments to the by-laws pertaining to dues, assistant editors, and parliamentary procedure for business meetings were unanimously adopted.

Acting on the belief that the various agencies of the federal government in the U.S. have occasional need for American Sociological Association's advice on matters of programs and personnel, the article author has, during the year, made eight trips to Washington D.C. He has advised and conferred with such agencies as the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Civil Service Commission, the Department of State, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Commerce, the Office of Education.