'The first general meeting of} members of the Shanghai Fascist formed some weeks ago, was held fon Thursday in the Masonic Hall. 'Attendance was limited strictly to members, and even these were admitted' only on production of their membership cards, A report; subsequently given out stated that)
was a well-attended and Uhusiastie meeting. After slon, the members formed them-fe)ven into an organization and lected as their leader Mr. B. Firth, fof Messrs, Wheelock & Ca., who, with Mr. It, P. King, took the initial steps for the formation of the organization.
In opening the meeting, Mr. Firth sui No doubt many of you here to-day: wish to know how this move me was started. As you are all aware, Shanghai has passed through many strenuous periods during the pose few years, and we may even yet have more difficult times ahead of us. To myself and others whom I have discussed the loc situation, there appeared to be a regrettable lack of ce-operation between the different nationalities comprising this very cosmopolitan community of Shanghai, Consider-fable criticism of our authorities, doth Consular and Municipal, is of daily oecurrenc deserved, but the gr: 4s undeserved. When things are not to our individual taste, we are apt to resent them without taking into consideration either the cause or the effect. Do we offer anything con structive in plnee of that which wa wish to destroy? I feel sure you wil agree with me that there is only one answer to that question and that is, no. Having this ass. basis to work upon, the question then was:—What can be done remedy this most of affairs? After many discussion with Messrs, H. P. King, W. J. N. Dyer, and others, it was decided te make some effort to draw the people of Shanghai together, and. tke notice, which I have since heard referred 'Ten Commandments,' the public press, calling! fon the residents of Shanghai tu grot as membera of the Shanghai pane "Fascisti"? Without goies Many of you may ask:—Why the into-afy lengthy explanation, it will probably be sufficient for the moment to yemind you that the Italien Fascist saved Italy for her people from the worst menace the world Yas ever known—Bolshevism. The!
Thitish Pascisti has also done a great deal for Great Britain and the British Empire. Surely. the name and all it portrays for the maintenance of law and order good enough for Shanghai. Of course, many of you may hold a different opinion, and, if that is the cave, this matier can easily settled later by a show of hands, my advice is to retain the name! under which you enrolled. In this connection there is one statement which I should like to make. In so far as I am aware, this party is no sense whatever a political one, Dut is purely a local movement of the residents of Shanghai to protect their own interest
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.