At the annual meeting of the "Shell" Transport and Trading" Company, Lad. held in London on the 21st September, Sir Marcus Samuel, the chairman, livored a most interesting address on conditions of the ai! trade in th He explained the Company's position as regards its condition with the Dutch concerns. After referring to the attitude f the Indian Government, he said the Government of Burma had treated them ina manner which he did rot hesitate to describe as scandalous. They had been refused prospecting licences, and prospectors who had obtained licences were threatened with their cancellation if they sold them to the Company. They wore accused of not being a bond-fide British company, yet nine-tenths of the sharon shelders were entirely British. He also denied that they were allied with the Standard Oil Company. Proceeding he said:—" You will probably expect mo to tell you how the war now prevailing between Japan and Russia affects us, am thoroughly convinced that, had Russia not been most justly tackled by Japan, Manchuria would have -been lost to European trade, and particularly to our company; because all kerosene but Russian would would cortaialy have been excluded by prohibitive tariffs, Manchuria, however, is a natural market for our Borneo and Sumatra oils which can be laid down owing to the geographical position at much lower" prices thin is possible for either Russian or American oil. Besides this, I am convinced that, with the progressive and able administration of the Japanese, trade both in Corea and Manchuria will advance far more rapidly than it would have done under the reactionary policy of the Russian Government. I have had practical proof of how able the Japanese are in their civil administration, by seeing what giant strides Formosa has made since it has been under their
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.