'A Slack Year Due to Political Troubles: Great Hopes for New Institute The annual meeting of the Missions to Seamen in Shanghai was held in the Cathedral School for Boys on Thursday evening, Mr. S. Barton, H.M, Consul-General, preing over a large attendance, which ludod Bishop H.J. Molony (President) and-the Dean. The report emphasized that little could be said of the work in the past year, because the long period of unrest had made it possible t" do only very! little, Grateful thanks was offered to a large number of people for financial and other assistance, The Chairman mentioned that the! Chaplain (Rev. T, W. Hall) had taken advantage of the slackness in the work caused by the troublous times to take a much-needed holiday} at Home. There possibly was an advantage in the fact that Shanghai now had come more prominently before tie people at Home and this would enable the Chaplain, when Dressing the claims of the Shanghai Mission, to do so to people more interested in the place than they Would have been had the troubles! not brought Shanghai so much into prominence. The troubles also had served to show the splendid relations existing between ships' officers and crews, Despite all the influences brought to bear, the crews only could be persuaded to leave their ships for comparatively short periods and they showed an alacrity in seizing opportunities to return which spoke volumes for the relations which must exist in rormal times between officers and men, and we could take measure of consolation from that.
Temporary Institute he work of the temporary in-tute had continued in its present adequate quarters and the longer it continued the more proof would, they have of the necessity for the' larger institute which it was hoped some day to provide through the War Memorial Fund, Subscriptions, to the War Memorial Institute now amounted to Tls. 9,000 and the Stewards of the Race Club had mace very generous promise of $20,000, to be spread over two yours, on ths condition that the land on which the institute should be erected was made available for the Mission free of charge. The property on which St. Andrew's stood was made up vf two portions allotted to them by Bir. Cornelius Thorne and Messrs. Jardine, Matheron & Ca, for as long. as they' were used for Mission purposes. Ewo already had agreed that their land should be at the disposal of the Mission for the purposes of the new building, or if they had to move then the proceeds from the lund might be!
similarly used and they hoped to sar in like terms from the trustees: of Mr. Thorne's atate. They also had certain other funds.
In view of present conditions they had decided on a somewhat less expensive scheme than that, outlined in the original appeal of three ago. They now were of the opinion that if they could find Tls. 80,000. they would be justified in proceed. ing with the work. Nearly a third of the amount was in sight and the measure of support received so far certainly was most encouraging. conclusion the Chairman specially referred to Mr. W. A. Willis, the hon. secretary' and treasurer, who, he said, had done very hard work for them for many years. Mr. Willis was going Home on teave and it was a fitting opportunity to give him a special vote of thanks.
Dean Symons gave an interesting account of the Mission since its in ception, saying that Mr, Hall was but following in the wake of a number of excellent men who had filled the position. Mr. Hall, however, had started quite a new era, be-to the Navy! was a link both with the Royal Navy and the Mercantile Marine. Mr, Hall had entirely worked himself out during the three years he had been here. Ie kept open house. for all seafaring men, whom he entertained royally and he (the! Dean) doubted if Mr. Hall had had a single meal alone since he had been, here, 7
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.