Mr. F. A, Harris Leaving, After Thirty Years (Contributed)
In the development of her new life and the bringing to her of the resources of Western civilization China owes a great debt to the! many "Westerners who have through long years given themselves to her serivee. Not least has this been so in the laying down fof railways, and in bringing them to their present state of ficiency: for, though the rapacity of Tuchuns and the reckless impoverishment of railways daring recent years of civil war have for a time impaired that: efficiency, the fine system elaborat~ ed and set up by the patient Iabours fof experienced men remains and will remain.
Te has been regretable to see steadily depleting the foreign stairs fon the railway; and that one after another, after' lengthened periods (of faithful and highly efficient. ser-Vice, have, almost. without notice, Jett China. Tt is the more gratify ug to know that the rank and file think very differently of the for-igners with whom and under whom they have worked. This has been ately illustrated by happenings at Tongshan.
Mr. F, A, Harris, still recently Secretary of the Peking-Mukden Railway, and earlier, for the greatrt of his over thirty years p:
jie, at the head of the accountaney department of the Tongshan Locomotive Works, went down Jast week to Tongshan to bid farewell to foreign friends and col-Jeagues. His Chinese friends, coworkers and subordinates in the Railway Works got word of- his coming and arranged to show their sopreciation of his character and work. 'They prepared an excellent tiffin' at a Chinese restaurant, es-carted him by royal progress from Wis host's at Hsi Shan to the ban-quot; sixty-two Chinese were present) many of whom -voiced their sense of loss in the departure of Mr. Warris, and assured him that he would ever have a place in their memory, and affection. They presented him with a large silver shield. suitably engraved and expressing. their kindly feeling.
Me hears that 150 of them have Joined in a strong appeal to the Railway authorities to Harri names to address on vellum suitably bound, and now in preparation, to be presented to him before he leaves China at the end of this week, and to be a souvenir of happy mutual relations. The writer has seen the terms of this address and notes that it recognises both high qualities of character, and the value to the railways of the efficient system of accountancy which Mr, Harris h set up.
Mr. Harris goes home to retire with the knowledge that he has made his mark in good work for China, and that he will long have place in the memories of those amongst whom he has worked,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.