Annual Meeting and New Officers The annual meeting of the local post of the American Legion was held in the Carlton Cafe on Monday at tiffin time, when new officers were elected.
Major John Hervey Ross, late U.S.A., was elected Post Commander to succeed Major Arthur Bassett. Captain W. I. Eisler, late U.S.N., was elected Vice-Commander to succeed Mr. Don D. Patterson. Mr. H. C. Stone, of Andersen,\Meyer & Ca., was elected Post Adjutant. Mr. J. E. Rowe was elected Treasurer and Mr. W.
A. Pott Post Chaplain. Mr. H. B. Ollerdessen was elected Sergeant-at-Arms.
Miss L. M. Wilkinson, of the American Consulate, who has © the distinction of being the only woman member of the local post, also attended the meeting. Miss Wilkinson was a member of the Quarter master Corps and she arrived in France in August of 1918. She was detailed as secretary to the Chief of Staff, General Johnson Hagood, in the Service of Supply, A. E. F., at Towrs, France.
Major Ross gave a talk on "Americanism" and, among other things, outlined the social and business activities that are being planned for the coming year. Up to now the work of the Legion has been largely organization work, the establishing of Shanghai as a post and the enlarging of the membership of the post. Now, with suc good start, the new officers plan to put more "pep" than ever into the doings of this organization. Very shortly a drive will be started to bring the membership up to 200. Committees will be appointed for special branches of the work and, among other social activities, a big dance is being planned for the early part of~February, probably to be held at the Columbia Country Club.
The American Legion in Shanghai was organized by Mr. H. E. Marsden, Major Arthur Bassett and Mr. Don D. Patterson in May, 1919. It started with a meeting of the ex-service men who were in Shanghai, at the American Club and its membership has increased by leaps and bounds to now when it boasts 150 members. Since its organization, the local post has been appointed Department Headquarters and other posts have been established under its jurisdiction at Tientsin and Peking. "There will undoubtedly be established, in the near future, a post at Hankow.
A unanimous vote of thanks was given the outgoing officers for the splendid work done under their organization.
Other speeches that were made were by Captain W. I. Eisler, who spoke strongly for closer relationship between the members of the Legion and for getting facts about the Far East before them in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.