[S]ecretaries were often a certain type of Englishman - ineffectual, sort of "weedy", a bit of a "salesman" type - probably someone who never fitted particuarly well in the hippy world (a bit too straight at heart, but in an odd way). 

Isn't it interesting, Livia, how true your description is -- whether in jolly old England or its most famous former colony, that bad boy US of A.  The men (and I believe they were all men until a lesbian named Lola became a General Secretary) who became General Secretaries in the 30-50 or so ashram communities in the 70s were all cut from the same cloth, as described above.  In my little community ashram, we had 10 brothers who slept ON THE FLOOR in the satsang hall/dining room/living room (all one room).  The three bedrooms in this tiny house were distributed as follows:  1) The two women (housemother and ass't housemother) had one; 2) the travelling mahatma had one (though he only used it a few times a year); and 3) the General Secretary had one, where he kept his Telex Machine and his TIME magazines.  The General Secretaries were all goody two shoes (or however it's said) and were company men, doing all and whatever was ordered from Headquarters (Denver).  They kept everything going and in line.  I HATE THAT I WAS IN THIS CULT>