New Type of Steamer for the Winter Trade Lhe Tze Sui, a vessel intended specially for trade on the Upper Yangtze during the winter months, was successfully launched on Saturday at the shipyard of the Societe Franco-Chinois de Constructions Mctalliques et Mechani-ques for Chinese owners, the christening ceremony being graccfully performed by Mme. Laurent, wife of the managing director of the yard, in the presence of a larg@' company. Winter navigation between Ichang and Chungking calls for a different type of vessel from the larger ones running during the season from April to November,.a vessel of very shallow draft and of limited length, but with ample power and good steering qualities being required and it is on these lines that the Tze Sui has been built. She is a shallow draft tunnel-stern twin-screw steamer, 140 ft. long, 24 ft. beam, d of 43 ft. draft loaded. She accommodation for Ist, 2nd and 8rd class passengers and good ¢argo space.
The vessel is expected to attain a speed of 14 knots an hour, her machinery installation consisting of two light high speed triple expansion engines, and two Yarrow type water-tube boilers, with all the usual auxiliary machinery required in this type of vessel, the complete installation being manufactured by the builders.
Sir Beilby Alston, H.M. Minister to Peking, leaves for Home in November, states the " Shunpao," and_his successor will arrive here in December.
A party of 13 Japanese Members of Parliament are expected to arrive in_ Shan; during the early part of November to make an investigation of local conditions.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.