OVERSEAS LEAGUE

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18367, 28 April 1925, Page 11

OVERSEAS LEAGUE

INCREASING MEMBERSHIP.

NEW CLUB OPENED BY THE PRINCE.

(raou oub ovm corbessondent.) LONDON, March 30. At tho beginning of 1922, Vernon House, the new headquarters of the Overseas League, was opened by the Duke of York. In 1923 the League took over another house in Park p'ace to provide sleeping accommodation for its members. With an ever-growing membership the League has now seen its way to mako a further extension, and has taken two more houses m Park place, off St. James's, for tne purpose of providing a men's club. The extension was formally opened by the Prince of Wales. The two houses now bought by the League were formerly the premises of the iPrimrose Club, a private club owucd by Mr B. W. Persso, of County Galway, Ireland. It was founded in iIBBB by Mr 'Pecsse's father, and has had a somewhat notable history. In recent years, however, it has been going downhill, and the owner preferred to sell out rather than bring the premises thoroughly up-to-date. The opportunity was not one which the Overseas League tould miss, and they took over the premises along with a number of the old members. It was one of those old-fashioned houses without bathrooms, hip baths | being provided in each bedroom. The whole place has been refitted. Central heating ■ has ' been installed. Four rooms have been converted into bathrooms. Hot and cold water has been •laid on to every bedroom, and telephones have been placed in every fooin. There are sixteen bedrooms, i giving accommodation to nineteen I people, a commodious lounge, reading room, dining room, and billiard room., Members of the League from overseas will have a first claim on the accommodation. The pla-» has been tastefnllv refurnished" throughout. The chairman of the League (Sir Ernest Birch) in welcoming the Prince of Wales, said that the League had 30.000 members. They now possessed four houses in Park place, and they would not be conte.it until they owned I all the houses in the street.

A World-Wide Organisation. "I am particularly glad,'' said the Prince, "that one of my last duties before starting on my long journey overseas should be that of declaring open this new building of the Overseas League. On all my travels of the Dominions, and to foreign countries, I have constantly come in contact with members of the League, and I have no doubt that I shall meet more in West Africa and in South Africa. I shall be able to tell them that the Leagu is still going ahead. Though it is not quite fifteen years • old it now has 30,000 members in all parts of the Empire, and in many : British communities in foreign lands. It has in many different ways amply fulfilled the object with which it was founded to establish a personal touch among the citizens of the Empire, and to make them feel at home in whatever part of the world thev may "happen to be. "Vernon House, the League's war memorial, was opened in 1922 by my brother, the Duke of York. The rapid increase of members from overseas has made extra space a necessity. By the addition of the new premises to-day the League becomes the possessor of four fine buildings ir the very heart of London which gives it, I'think, a headquarters well worthy of an organisation wh'ch reaches out to every corner of the world where the English tongue is spoken. lam much honoured by your invitation to declare the clnb open, and in formally doing so I wish the League all prosperity and success m the fuVmono- nresent were the Hon. L S Amery and Mrs Aniery, Sir Joseph" and Ladv Cook, and a number of other High Commissioner? and AgentsGeneral, while Sir Arthur and Lady Myers were among those who represented New Zealand.

The resolution of the United States Congress to increase tbe salaries of its from 7500 dollars to 10,000 dollars a vear lias revived a good story of General G. W. Goethals. While ho ■was in charge of the canal-digging at Panama, a committee of Congress arrived to inspect the operations. He was showing the visitors round and explaining the reason for houses of different sizes. One was for an employee who was getting 4000 dollars a year. A larger one was for an engineer receiving 10,000 dollars. "Ah, I see," remarked one of the Congressmen; "if I were here I should have a house that went with a salary of 7500 dollars." "No, siree," replied General Goethals; "if you were here you would not be having 7500 dollars."