London, Mar. 29.
The China Asso held its annual general meeting on Wednesday, at the offices of the P.
Company, Leadenhall street, Mr. L.N, Leefe being in the chair. The following members of the Associa tion were present:—Mr. A. Towsend, Sir James H. Stewart Lockhart, Mr. TLAJ. Macray, Inv RALR. Wade, Mr. A P, Wood, Mr.
H.-W. Fox, Mr. W._P. Ker, H. W, Dird, Mr. J.'S, Bruce, Aloe Reiss, Lieut-Gon, Sir George MacDonough, Mr. H. G. Simms, Mr. E. V. D. Parr, Mr. F. 8. Clark, "Rees-Davies, Inv B.A. Stanton, Mr. R. 1. Hill, Mr. F. Sal-inger, Mr. W. N. Bleome, Mr. W. B. Kennett, "Mi Anderson, Mr.
'T.-H. Whitehead, Mr. E, F. Mac-Kay, Capt; Re N. Mayne, Mr. Fs J. Abbott, Mr. Stanley H, Dodwell, Archibald Rone, Sie Skinner jer, Mr. W, Carter, Mr. Whistler, Mr. GIN, Dodwell, Mr. L. A. Chill, Mr, C, A.V, Bower, Mr.
Looker, Min. Mr. A.V. Apcar, Mr. T. Petrie, Mr. D.C. Jones, Mr, W. Adams Oram, Inv, Haskell, Mr. LO, Canning, Mr. 8, F. Mayers, Mr. B. J. Libeaud, Dr. O. Marriott, and Messrs.
Gull and H.C, Wilcox, joint secretaries, Lord Southborough could not be present, owing to another engagement.
The Chairman proposed the adoption of the report. He said:—It is natural for our minds to revert to the situation as it was when we last mot and contrast its features with those which chirac~ terized it to-day. Then, you will recollect, the outlook was sinister in the extreme, It was overshadowed by the recent atrocities in Nanking, and I cannot make reference 0
The future of the Customs ministration must remain a matter of neue anxiety until the differences between North and South are composed. Some of you may have had your attention directed to a telegram in the "Manchester Guar dian" of yesterday's date, making definite statement that' Mr, wards, the acting Inspector-Gcferal of Customs, will not be recognized within the territories controlled by the Nenking Government. have endeavoured to ascertain what Justifieation there is for this statement, but, at the moment of speaking, Iam unable to contribute an} thing thereto, Railway loans, in most cases, are still in default, and the railways themselves no less in Jo state of advanced decay. All these and other problems have still to be dealt with.
In handing over the affairs of the Association to a new Chairman and Committes, as we are about to do, nothing would have been more gratifying than to have been able to accompany the transfer with the assurance that an active paried of administrative reform in China and consequent prosperity was obvious ly going to be their experienc: No such assurance, I fear, is pos: sible, but T do recognize, or think 1 do, a better atmosphere. The policy laid down by H. M. Govern ment and expressed more part! cularly in the Chamberlain Memoandum of December, 1926, evoked at its inception, and. naturally so, great deal of criticism, but since it has by now shown itself to be the policy which this country is determina to pursue, I do no think that this Association can do otherwise than endeavour to support it and further its ends. those times and omit an expression of sorrow and sympathy at the recent announcement of the sad death of Mr. Bertram Giles. Today we contemplate a different scene. At the momimt, anyhow, some of its more violent aspects have been removed, the effort of the Third International to establish its hold upon China is a proved failure, and the flame of Anti-British propa: dying down,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.