Perplexities Caused by Abolition of Commissioners Fron Oun Own Connrsroxnent Canton, Jan. 7, As soon as the painters have freshened up the place a bit, the moving vans will carry the mancipal furniture to the Foreign Office Building. That will then become the City Hall, Meanwhile Mr, Liang Chih-wai and his" few assistants are occupying the old premises, "But since most of the functions of the Commissioner of Foreigh Affairs' Department have' been transferred to other hands, Mr, Liang, who will be actively in charge of the Foreign Affairs Section of the Mayor's office needs but acorner of the building.
Mr, Linng's exact dutios.have not been very clearly defined thus far, and he is groping along in the dark awaiting the coming of more cite instructions. Nevertheless, Nanking has finally determined how ports are to be issued, Applications had been piling up since, for a week or longer, it was not: known whether the passports would be issued of the national capital or here in Canton, and Chinese going abroad have had to postpone the ime of their departure, Evidently little change will be made in the manner of issuing sports, the Foreign Affairs Secmn chief has been authorized to sign them, the applications to be acted upon directly by him. But a radical departure has been made from the old way of handling requests for "permits to travel about within the province. A visitor who wants only to stop off in Canton should present himself at the City Hall, for the Mayor's Office will issue it, Those who want to move about in country districts will make their applications at an office of the Provincial Government, Among the points that remain to be decided is how certificates are to be prepared authenticating copies of governmental documents. Before such papers may be introduced in evidence in a court of a foreign country, the foreign laws as a rule provide that the certificate of.the legal custodian of the docaménts must be attached, and there must also be an accompanying certificate of the foreign consul to the effect that the signature and seal of the custodian are genuine. Up.to the end of 1929, it was the practice to secure the certificate of the Commissioner of Foreign Affairs guaranteeing the genuineness of the signature and seal of the head of the courts who, in tum provided his certificate testifying as to the genuineness of the paper in ques-ton. As a final step- in the chain of proof, the foreign consul made a certificate signifying that he knew of his own knowledge that the signaturo.and seal'on the Commissioner of Foreign Affair's certificate {were genuine. With thovelosing. of the Commissioner's. office, naturally, a change has. to begnade,. but: no
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.