1924*
Don't forget the party at Jug End Barn for the second week-end in May.
Mony Monahan wrote me a nice letter from Philadelphia in which he enclosed two pictures of Buck Weaver appearing in the Evening Public Ledger. Buck has a very fine eye practice and is doing a great job with the Naval Reserve in which he is a Lieut. How's to drop me a line Buck and tell me all the news?
Mony writes "The other day the local manager of Lazard Freres telephoned to say that he wanted to bring out to my office their noted public utility bond expert from N. Y. When said expert was ushered in he turned out to be Dave Dyche, and what was intended to be a very high powered sales talk rapidly degenerated into Hanoverian informalities. The only other visiting fireman in recent months was A1 Burke in Oct., who called on me in the hospital where I was wrestling with a streptococcus throat infection." A1 is a partner in the firm of Duff & Phelps, public utility bond firm, and spends most of his time in travel contacting the firm's many clients in the bank and insurance Cos. field. Thanks for your nice letter Mony and let me hear from you again soon.
Please get your class dues in to George Traver. There are only a few not paid up. Please get them in. Your Secretary does not wish to keep mentioning these dues. Clean them up, please.
Saw Tim Lyons and he reported that Jack Parker and his wife paid him a visit in town. Tim reports that he and Stan Lyons take in the hockey games at the Arena where the Olympics play.
Red Newell writes a fine letter from China "We finally arrived in the Far North after coming very close to a return to Shanghai. Two days before sailing from San Francisco I received a wire from Head Office ordering me to Shanghai. Midway between San Francisco and Honolulu a radio reversed the decision. Finally found out when reaching Japan that Shanghai had been caught short by a sudden rush due to the war and eventually borrowed a man from Kobe after SOS'ing for me. Clara went on through to Shanghai to pick up some of our effects, while I embarked on a small, but quite comfortable, Japanese boat in Kobe for a three day voyage to Dairen; thence by train to Harbin, a 15 hour overnight trip. Arrived here October 3 and began to get settled upon the Missie's arrival on October 14. We have a comfortable house with a couple of acres „of ground which will be very useful for vegetables and flowers, if we survive the winter and aren't transferred meantime. So far the temperature has been quite kind, having fallen below zero only once or twice. January and February are the rough months as a rule, when we can expect anything up to 40 below.
"The town looks essentially the same as it did in 1926/27 when I was here before, but under the surface the changes have been tremendous. Although the total population is said to be approximately the same, i.e., about 500,000, the Japanese now outnumber the Russian population which has dwindled from almost 100,000 to about 30,000. Political control is now entirely in the hands of the Japanese, with the same system of exchange restrictions and monopolistic control of commodities as they have in Japan proper. Needless to say, it is very difficult to carry on business under such handicaps, and the country has left but a shell of its old prosperity. Due chiefly to the air-tight restrictions on imports, the cost of living has gone up a great deal. It is probably about three times as expensive as Shanghai under present conditions. The chief snag at the moment is a serious coal shortage, which can very easily be a matter of life or death in this climate. Fortunately, we in the Bank have been able to secure enough to keep us comfortable, but there are many buildings, including apartment houses, which have not yet been heated, at all. Despite the various drawbacks, I am enjoying the set-up here, chiefly on account of the absence of the rush and pressure at the office which are characteristic of the Shanghai Branch. Have no idea how long the assignment will last. Neither has Head Office, I presume, as conditions from port to port often change very suddenly, both as regards business and staff.
"Harbin is quite a backwater so far as news is concerned. Now that fighting between the Soviets and Japanese along the borders has practically ceased, the European situation holds the center of the stage. Those with radios are in a preferred position, newspapers from Japan and Shanghai (almost .entirely heavily colored news at that) taking from five days to a month to reach us. Which reminds me, I have not yet heard the results of the Cornell and Stanford games, but fear the worst. After all, we could not expect too much this season and the Harvard/Yale efforts were splendid." Thanks very much Red for your very interesting letter.
Will you fellows please get some news in to me. If Newell can write all the way from China how about a little help from New England, New York, and way stations?
Just received a card from Ken Harvey. Ken says he had dinner with Frank Karslake a few days after Christmas. Frank is with the Forbes Lithograph Cos. Ken's wife, Miriam just got out of the Portland hospital after an operation to be with Ken who is in the Newton Hospital with a touch of pneumonia. Both are on the road to recovery. Your Secretary sent Ken a bouquet of carnations from the class.
Secretary, 45 Chestnut St., Wellesley Hills, Mass
* 100% subscribers to the ALUMNI MAGAZINE, on class group plan.
