Reception Held To Explain To Cadets the Object of the Trip At a reception hold on board the str, Hwahjah on. Saturday, Marquis Li Kuo-joh, Chairman of the "Board. of Directors. of "the China Merchonts''§. N. Ca., and Rear-Admiral C. C. Hsu, adviser to the company ea navigation matters, "addressed the Chiness cadets about to depart on a year's tour of the world for a course of practical training in' seaman:
purpose by the Ministry of Navy The abi has on for fox the and the cadets. number about 40 in all, 15 of whom are naval mi ahipmen while the remainder are studerite drawn from. Nanyang College, St. John's Univers and Soochow University live had theoretical tuition and must round off their, training With, practical work. Ths. ship will be commanded by Capt. W. 8. Pritchard, who has ad 43 yours experience of the sea, With ject which opened up a great future for Chinesp cadets," He promised them equal treatment When well qualified for scamanship. 'They. must, not think the life on board. too' strenuous but must work hard and be faithful to the men who had put the enterprise on a good footing. In conclusion, he exhorted them to bring the project. to a successful conclusion a3 it was @ matter of national interest.
Rear-Admiral Hsu_gavo as one lof the reasons why China's international status was so low her inferior position in mercantile marine. "China had no. charts made by her own nationals but depended on fhose_made by other 31 countries. She cond not navigate Ther territorial waters because she had not hor own, national pilots 5 0 observatories, ort caammers, "no ship's" offcers. Te was for reasons such as these, among others, which made foreigners seek. extraterritoriality Jand other treaty rights. Such sted in no other country.
Steam Navigation Ca.; therefore, proposed to send cadets abroad to Study the methods. of other nations "to find out " wheroit they differed from China's. The students must prove. themselves worthy of the promoters" energy both in the eyes of the passengers on board and by gaining the esteem of the general public. They must pay close attention to the manifold duties and qualifications required for steamship officers—questions of maritime law, ship construction, commercial re-Intions and malters of international importance. It was only understanding such questions thoroughly that they would blo' to. pass. the examinations they woul have to under relurniog from their trip.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.