Nearly 200 members of the American Community Church met. on Monday evening at a supper at the Navy Y. M. C. A. to welcome some two score new members of the congregation, and to discuss the project of purchasing a church building site in the Western district. Dr. J. B. Fearn, Chairman of the Board of Governors, explained that various available sites in the Western district had been considered, but with one exception all had been rejected, for one reason or another. The property that seemed to be most suited was that adjoining the American school, since within a radius of two miles more than 200 American households were located.
The following resolution of the Board of Trustees was unanimously:—"The. Board of Trustees of the American Community Church recommend that the Board of Governors be authorized to proceed at once toward the securing of a site adjoining the Avenue Petain and the Route Louis Dufour, better known as the American School property, and that they proceed toward the adequate financing of the same." The meeting then adjourned.
Dr. Drury informed a representative of the "North-China Daily News" that Tls. 65,000 was required adequately to finance the undertaking, which sum would be raised through popular subscription, and through various benefit entertainments which would take place from time to time, The first of these entertainments would be a concert for which the Carlton ballroom. had been engaged on the evening of May 4. The following had volunteered their -services Mesdames von Heidenstam, Vandenburgh, Kingman, D. Drake and Renner, Messrs. Fr. Sem and Wilhelm Meyer. Dr. Drury added that more than' Tls. 1,200 already had been secured. of the acting Plenipotentiary.
Asked when the first shipload of refugees would be likely to depart, he shook his head, saying that a great deal of organizing work had to be done before the scheme could be got going. Ten good-sized ships of the Volunteer Fleet were now in Vladivostok. It would be use-Tess to send one here until say, 5,000 refugees could be persuaded to return. The Astrakhan and the Erivan in Shanghai were other two available transports. He was reminded of the civil proceedings over these vessels in the Mixed Court, and that the ships are now practically interned. "Their release-will soon be effected," he replied, but would give no details.
In connexion with the policy of the Soviets to secure the répatriation of refugees, he said, 2,500 had already been sent back to Chita from Harbin.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.