The Chinese have had a great deal of experience of the industry of Messrs. J. T. Thornycroft & Ca., the big British engineers and shipbuilders. They have seen much of the firm's work of various kinds and they know it all for good. Just now one wishes certain Chinese could meet some of Messrs. Thornycroft's workmen and acquire knowledge of another kind. The firm have put in a tender for building the new floating dry-dock at Southampton, but it was not simply a matter of drafting plans and working out quantities and figures, Conditions are such at Home now that there had to tu some sort of an arrangement between the firm and its employees if there was to be a chance of success. We quote the manager as to what happened The men met me on two occasions, when the position in which both the firm and employees stood was made clear to them, and as a result. they have agreed to accept a reduction in wages should we succeed in securing the contract. The firm on their part have agreed to out profits to an absolute minimum, so that, if the work does not come our way, it will neither be the fault of the firm nor the men. The men have agreed to a reduction in wages in order that the firm might cut our estimate fo the very limit, and -by so doing try to beat firms more fortun nately placed by their close proximity to the iron and steel areas of the north of England.
What an example to the strikers on the Chinese railways and at the Kailan mines, who, even though their employers intimated a willingness to negotiate and actually met them with some generous concessions, preferred to listen to the professional agitators who said, "Strike and you will get still more."' Ca-operation would pay as well in China as in Southampton.
Worp has been received from the Secretary of the national American Bar Association that at its recent meeting in San Francisco the following gentlemen "were elected as its local Council for China:—Messrs. Arthur Bassett, R. A. Frost (Hankow), R. S. Haskell and Chauncey P. Colcomb. Judge Lobingier was continued as Vice-President for China and Mr. Stirling Fessenden was chosen as the member of the Generail Council. The President of the Association for the current year is the Hon John W. Davis, former Solicitor General of the United States and Ambassador to Great Britain.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.