The Daily Alaska empire., 1936-09-03
KARNES URGES LEGION TO BACK
 AIR PROGRAM
Department Comma m d CT Asks Support for Alaska
 Air Mail Service
SUGGESTS ACCOMPANYING COAST GUARD SERVICE
Veterans Reserve Corps Also Recommends Re-
 serve Corps Here

Urging a strong all-Alaska pro- gram including air mail and air bases as a part of the program of national defense, Department Con- mander Anthony E. Karnes of Ju- neau opened the second session of the 17th Annual Convention of the American Legion here this morn ing with thorough report of the years work and recommendation for future activity.
 In short session, the Legion naires appointed committees to work out convention plans and adjourn ed until 3 o'clock to allow time to attend the Juneau Chamber of Commerce luncheon at which they were guests.
 Report of the membership cam paign revealed the Southeast dis trict had been successful in getting the most new members, the total figure now standing at 1,038 mem bers. The contest was led by First Vice Commander Sidney c. Raynor of Anchorage and Second Vice Commander Stanley J. Nichols of Valdez, the latter's side winning, and Vice Commander Raynor now is faced with the task of providing the prize. Vice Commander Nichols was strong in his praise of the Southeast, Alaska Posts for the splendid work in getting new mem bers, and complimented the small post of Haines. Afford John Brad ford Post No. of Juneau headed the list with POS members.
 Commander Karnes in making his report, declared:
 Comrades, another year has rolled around, and as has been the custom in the past, shall endeavor to give you something of the progress of the American Legion, both na- tionally and as a Department, for the past year, and will make certain recommendation which I believe beneficial to Alaska and its citi- zenS.
 May say that after the thrill of the honor of having been elected as your Commander had somewhat subsided, the realization of the res possibilities of the office began to dawn upon me It was three weeks after the Seward Convention before I returned home, and I carried with me all the correspondence, reports, etc, that had been received or sent by PDC Hopkins, which he had so gratiously given me at the close of that Convention. I planned to go over this very carefully on my re- turn.
 However, on my arrival home, Il found that I was swamped with correspondence and reports from the National Office, and contin- ued to be swamped throughout the entire year, with the result that the rope which bound Hoppie's box of which box was the size of salmon box, still remains tied. am giving this information for the benefit of my successor in order that he may know that the National Headquarters will keep him busy, and that he will have to scratch for time to attend to the regular Department business.
 Some of the Accomplishments
 T would like to point out to you at this time, some of the accom- of the National organi- zation. John Thomas Taylor, Chair man of the National Legislative Committee in his last bulletin | states that from legislative standpoint, the past session of Con- gress has been the most successful the Legion has had"
 The most outstanding achieve ment in this last Congress, of course, was the legislation resulting in the payment of the Adjusted | Compensation Certificates. This, of course, was not accomplished in one year. but was the result of many years of hard work on the part of the combined efforts of The Ameri- can Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Disabled Veterans. Experimenting this Act, benefitting certain veterans was legislation pro- hibiting the taking of veterans from relief rolls who had received pay ment of their Adjusted Compensa- tion Certificates. Provisional off, cers who had heretofore been de-
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