The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-01-09
RUSSELL ENTERS AMERICAN CITY
 BUREAU FIELD

Meigs B. Russell, assistant secre- rary of the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce will on January 15 be- come identified with the American City Bureau as field secretary for that organization, having resigned on January 1 from the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce.
 While MT. Russell will continue to make his home in Stratford he will be attached to the New York office of the American City Bureau which is located in the Tribune Building, New York city.
 The organization known as The American City Bureau occupies an unique and important place in A1neri- can civic development.
 Six years ago a group of four men came together to form the American City Bureau which at first was re- garded as merely another addition to a number of concerns engaged in Organizing Chambers of Con-. lerce-
 The service which the American City Bureau rendered soon showed a vital difference in it's philosophy. The other organizations asked men to join Chambers of Commerce because such organizations would bring factories to towu," fight railroads, boom real estate and other similar reasons, all purely selfish. The American City Bureau made it's appeal squarely on the ground of civic patriotism and men were told frankly that their con tribution might not bring any trace able financial benefit
 Men were asked to enlist for their community in just the same spirit that men were asked to enlist for their country in the great war. The results which followed justified this philosophy.
 The Bureau today is practically the only institution of its kind in the world. Its field staff has grown from four to 69 and it's combined office and field staffs and of the American City Magazine number 115.
 The first year four cities used the services of the Bureau for organiza- tion work. The Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce was shortly after or ganized by the American City Bureau and upon the foundation laid then has been built a structure which is regarded as one of the strongest livest and best Chambers of Com merce throughout New England
 In 1919 81 cities avai1ed them selves of the services of the City Bureau.
 Altogether the City Bureau has worked in 156 cities during the six years just ended. The Bureau has long since become an international institution and some of the most sue cessful of these organizations are To- cated in Canada.
 Last fall, in addition to opening branch offices in Chicago and San Francisco the City Bureau organized The Canadian City Bureau Ltd, with offices at Toronto. The total mem bershfp of the organizations served by the City Bureau in 1919 is 65,OOO. A typical instance of the work of the bureau was the organization at Niles, Ohio, of a Chamber of Commerce with 1925 members in a community of 14, 900 population and a per capita subscription of $1.S3. At Birning- ham, Ala, it increased the Chamber membership from 800 to 230O and Indianapolis from 900 to 4o0O. in 5000 members.
 At present the Bureau is working in 22 cities and 27 have engaged its services for 1920. By the end of January the Bureaus activities will have extended into 8 states and one Canadian province.
 Aside from the work of organiza- tion the City Bureau renders other important services to Chambers of Commerce in the Installation and Continuation Service with which branch Russell will be connected as Field Secretary.
 The organization serves as en- Gineers for building and planning community service and keeping these structures in repair.
 In addition to it's other work, the American City Bureau holds a sum mer school each year for the instruc tion and training of Commercial Or. Saniza ton Secretaries which for th. past two years have been held q t1aSlesmere, Pa. Russell has attend ed these two schools of which Sewar, B. Price, the Executive Secretary o the Bridgeport Chamber of Com merce is also a graduate, and o Which George Cove, formerly execu tive secretary of the Bridgepor Cham Der is a member of the faculty being also connected with the Cit. Bureau staff