the Tmperial Factory at Hangchow, and Ying-jui_ is gazetted Superintendent of
the similar appointment at Nanking has deen conferred upon Weén-hsii. Ko-mén-tai has been promoted to the post of Deputy Commissioner of the office of Transmission, 22nd September, GREAT BLOCK IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE IN asked that no expectant officials should be Ten ears ago the Governor of Honan
sent to the province for a period of two Yeats in order to relieve the great stagnation which prevailed in the lower ranks of the civil service. 'The present Governor states that immediately after the expiration of the above period crowds of expectant officers again begun to pour into the protified' by: the renewal of the system of vince, the evil having been greatly inten-
purchasing office. At the present moment there are 60 expectant candidates for the posts of Taotai, Prefect, and Senior luyistrate, over' 70 for those of Sub-Protect, and assistant Sub-Prefect, more than 300 aspiring to be Department and District Magistrates, and 1,020 waiting for minor appointments in the civil service. The stream of arrivals continues month after month and utter congestion is the natural result. Considerable retrenchment is being carried out in the provincial administration, and the great majority of these expectants have little prospect of temporary and much less of permanent employment. A process of weeding out the lessmieritorious could not fail to be attended with invidious consequences, and all the memorialist can suggest is that the measure introduced by his predecessor should be re-enforced for a further term of two years. This will, he hopes, work off to sui extent the present redundant supply of official aspirants, and being applicable only to, Honan, will not materially interfere with the funds raised for coast defence purposes from the sale of oftice.—Keferred tu the consideration "f the Board of Cicil Office
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.