# Statutes of the German Section 1902

*Organization*

1. The German Section of The Theosophical Society is established on the basis of the Constitution of the “Theosophical Society” and shall comprise all Branches in Germany and the German Branches in Switzerland.

2. For the purpose of better administering their affairs, the Branches may unite in Groups.

*General Assembly*

3. A General Assembly of the Section shall be held annually in October. All branches and individual members shall be notified thereof by the General Secretary 28 days in advance, stating the agenda. The meeting shall be chaired by the General Secretary. The required number of voting members at each meeting is seven. These must represent at least 7 branches. Each section member can attend and speak at the meeting. The right to vote is limited to the chairmen of the branches and one representative of each branch for every 25 members of that branch. Each fraction of 25 counts as a full one. Representation by written special or general power of attorney is permissible. The chairman of each meeting has a deciding vote in the event of a tie.

4. Extraordinary meetings must be convened by the Secretary General at the majority decision of the committee or at the request of 7 branches.

5. Fourteen days before each Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting, each Branch shall send the General Secretary a list of its members signed by the Branch President or Secretary. The General Secretary shall then close and verify his register on the basis of these lists. Thereafter, all matters relating to voting rights shall be decided.

6. In all cases requiring a general vote of the Section, as provided in $23 of the Constitution of the “Theosophical Society” or as determined by the Executive Committee, the Secretary General shall issue a ballot paper to each member of the Section. The question shall be decided by a majority of votes cast.

*Branches of the Section*

7. Each branch or group of branches shall draw up its own by-laws and conduct its own business without interference from the Executive Board or the Secretary General, provided that the bylaws of the Society or the Section are not violated. No Section member may vote in more than one branch for Section purposes.

*Executive Board*

8. The administration of all business is in the hands of an executive board, which is responsible to the annually convened general assembly. The executive board consists of the general secretary, the treasurer and at least twelve members. Two of them, as well as the Secretary General and the Treasurer, should live in the same area as the Section headquarters or in the neighborhood. The Executive Board is elected every three years at the General Assembly. If a board member resigns before the end of his term of office, or if his position is otherwise terminated, the board can appoint another member of the Section to the position.

9. The Secretary General is the executive officer of the Executive Board: He is in charge of the current business of the Section. He is responsible for the supervision of the archives and all documents at the Section's headquarters.

10. The treasurer is responsible for the section's funds. Two auditors, to be elected annually, shall examine the accuracy of the accounting at the end of the fiscal year or at other times at the request of the executive board and report to the general assembly or the executive board.

*Accounting*

11. The financial year of the Section ends on August 31. The annual accounts, drawn up by the Treasurer and audited by the auditors, shall be sent to each branch by the Secretary General 14 days before the Annual General Meeting.

*Register*

12. The names of all persons admitted to the section shall be entered in a register by the Secretary General. Each branch shall send the application for membership, adopted by the branch, dated and certified by the branch chairman or secretary, to the Secretary General immediately after admission, together with the section contribution. The former shall be sent to the Secretary General, the contribution to the Treasurer, whereupon the latter shall send the diploma to the branch or person concerned. No official other than the Secretary General may hand over such diplomas.

13. The chairmen of the branches are entitled to inspect the membership registers; other section members at the discretion of the Secretary General or the board.

*Membership*

14. Members of the Society who do not wish to join a branch can belong to the section as individual members and pay a one-time admission fee of 5 marks.

*Section contributions*

15. Each branch is to send in at least 3 marks annually for each of its members if it is unable to contribute larger sums to the section treasury. It is left to the branches to recommend to their members the free self-assessment and to determine the minimum rate of their annual contributions. In addition to their members, the branches may also accept “friends” (comrades) of the Society into their ranks. They do not receive diplomas, are not entitled to vote and no contribution is payable for them.

16. All funds received for the section are to be transferred to the treasurer and, with the approval of the executive committee, used in the interest of “The Theosophical Society”.

17. A fee of 10 marks is to be enclosed with every application for the issuance of a foundation charter for a branch.

18. Annual dues are payable in advance. Members who have not paid their annual dues can be removed from the membership list after due notification.

19. The executive council has the right to waive dues in special cases.

Signed Dr. Rudolf Steiner  
General Secretary  
Berlin W, Motzstraße 17.