Q.Who is the secretary of a co-operative society? Explain his role as the correspondent of the society.

A co-operative society is managed in law by its managing committee, but its office and its written dealings with the outside world are run by the secretary, who is the society's authorised correspondent.

Because every letter he signs is an official act of the society rather than a personal message, skill in correspondence is one of his most important duties.

Every registered co-operative society is managed, in law, by its elected managing committee, but the day-to-day administration of the society and its written dealings with everyone it deals with are entrusted to the secretary. The secretary is the chief executive and administrative officer of the society. He carries out the decisions of the managing committee and the general body, maintains the society's records and registers, convenes and records its meetings, and, above all, conducts its correspondence. In a small primary society he may be an honorary office-bearer elected from among the members; in a larger society he may be a paid, full-time officer. In either case, he is the officer through whom the society speaks and writes to others.

His role as correspondent flows directly from this position. Because the secretary is the officer authorised to sign and issue letters on behalf of the society, he is in practice its official correspondent. When a member is to be told that his application has been accepted, when notice of a general meeting is to be sent out, when a return is to be filed with the Registrar, when the bank is to be instructed to operate the society's account, or when the auditor is to be requested to take up the audit, it is the secretary who drafts, signs, and dispatches the communication. He does this within the authority given to him by the bye-laws and by the resolutions of the managing committee — he does not write on his own personal opinion, but as the mouthpiece of the society. Every letter he sends is therefore an official act of the society, not a private message.

This makes the quality of his correspondence a matter of real importance. A well-drafted, timely, and accurate letter protects the society's interests, keeps its members informed, and preserves good relations with the Registrar, the bank, and the auditor. A careless, delayed, or wrongly worded letter, by contrast, can create misunderstanding, invite legal or departmental objection, or damage the society's reputation. For this reason the secretary must be a capable correspondent — accurate in his facts and figures, correct in law, courteous in tone, and prompt in dispatch. In short, the secretary is both the executive officer of the society and its authorised correspondent, and correspondence is one of the most important of his practical duties.