It isa pity that the Department of Communications is throwing such difficulties in the way of foreigners who wish to go yachting in the Inland Sex, Tu view, we are told, of the gradual increase in the number of steam launches and yrch's used for plessure excursions to the inland Sea by foreigners in Kobe, the Department of Communications has, at the instance of the Hyozo Local Office, drawn up rules to regulate the visits of those boats to non-pen ports along the shore. For an excursion of only one week in duration and in places tioundel on one hand by the Tomog"shima rad, Kii, and on the other by the strait of Akashi, a permit may he given by the Local Office. Fora voyage of longer duration, however, the mutter requires, it "appears, the approval of the central authorities rather a tedious press, T should thi Murcus Island. he announcement that America had recognised Japan's claim to Minami Teri Shima (Marcus Island) excited no interest he for was what everyone The claim of the Japanese was extremely strong, but all the svme they left nothing to chance. They sent the Kasa: i thither at full speed as soon as the first report about the American expedition reached them; and Mr. Ishii, Secretary of the Foreign Office, who has just returned from his visit to Minami Ton Shima (Mureus Island), has just been interviewed by a press representative to whom he gave an interesting account of the trip. According to Mr. Ishii, the island is coral island having a circumference of one and a half miles and haviog no particular arbour to take in vessels. The Kasagi, during her stay in the island', had to keep burning coal all the time without anchoring. Having failed to find any American ship, Mr. Ishii had decided to leave the island for hom+, leaving ten seamen under the command of an officer, There were plenty of trees on the island, the names of which were, however, unknown to him, but which appeard to Mr. Ishii like willows. 'A peculiar feature of Minami Ton Shima is that it is the resort of innumerable kinds of small birds, the principal one of which is the swallow. Only 29 Japanes are residing there at present, and Mr. Mizutani, who takes charge of the island under the authority given him by the Government, was not on the island at the time of Mr. Ishii's visit, having gone to the Philippines, but he was represented by one S. Katakura. The islanders have constructed five or six s where more than ten families are living and only two women were among them. 'Those sailors who were left behind, had to build for themselves n temporary dwelling house with wood cut on the mountain of the island'!. It is expected that some other Japane © warship will again sail for the island in the near future, Volcanic Ash. covery of some German exp-rts that yolk Ta turning to practics! account the dis-conic ashes added to cement produce a very good result, the Japanese have again shown their peculiar talent for utilising the inventions of others. Professor Hiroi Director of the Otaru Harbour Constra tion Oflice, has actually employed thi novel compound and with the box results in the building of a new breakwater in Otaru harbour (Hokkaido). The Professor used one part of volcanic ashes to two or thr-e parts of cement. and the cement manufacturers are naturally alarmed, Marquis Ito, Marquis Ito has lately imide some sagacious remoras on the line which administestive reform in Japan might take, He dwells especially on the evil tendency in Japan for every prominent official to surround himself by a host of minor officials who do all his work for him, and whom he does his best advance. These men, to quote Huge, in advancing themselves ". advance their satellites; it is a whole solar system in_motion."
Every profession is said to have its aspire ants wh. make up the cottage of those who are at the summit, but few professions in Japan have their action clogged by such a crowd of aspirants or rather of minor officials as the Civil Servi To use the words of Marquis Ito "Tt harly needs pointing out that the use of proper men at proper posts will bring about he acceleration of adiinistrative business; but just because this is so, I think there is a nece-sity for introducing more or less changes in the Civ Service Law now in force. The Civil Service Law ie a gate on the road to an official career, and it seems necessary that there should be some restriction in admitting aspirants through it. But once inside it there is no longer any need for a passport, and the progress the aspirants make thereafter should entirely
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.