June 27.
The brief statement in a telegram published yesterday the effect that Mr. Ariyoshi, the: Japanese Minister to China, would' probably raise the pilotage question during his visit to Nanking to return thanks for the manner which the Chinese Government assisted in the liberation on the Japanese captive of the Shuntien pirates, presents a suitable opportunity for reverting to. that most important question. The—whole matter is not of such recent date as articles which have appeared would indicate and there evidence to show that as far back June, 1931, the Nanking Government had decided to dispense with the services of foreign pilots in the long run, for on the 2ind of that month ' regulations governing the examinations for pilots were published, not to be put into force until two years after their promulgation. Article 1 of these regulations provided that "No; person shall be allowed to function a a pilot unless he has obtained a pilots licence from the Examination Yuan in accordance with the provisions of the present regulations." Article LI reads:—
Any candidate for the allots examination shall possess the following qualifications: 1, That he is a citizen of the Republic of China; 2 That he is 2 holder of a certificate certifying tha: he tion in a technical institute; That he has rendered satisfactory services within a pilotage area; 4. That he is of good character strong in physical constitution fand tree from bad habits, There were certain other provisions which are not germane to the present discussion, the important feature of the' quotation given above being that only Chinese citizens would be allowed to sit for the examination, and that there was no stipulation that, the candidates should do more than take a course in navigation and, apparently, then serve us a pilot apprentice before passing. what appears to be a comparatively simple examination. En passant, it might be remarked that the examination to which it was then proposed to subject Chinese would-be pilots stands in marked contrast with the examinations which 'Nanking nows proposes' master mariners should now undergo.
Last year the Customs commenced to press for the taking over of the pilotage organization, forming a board consisting of two Customs officials, a representative of the Ministry of Navy, one of the Ministry of "Communications, a representative of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and in the case of Shanghai a member of the foreign, Chamber of Commerce, organization which it was clear from the very outset was not in conformity with the Agreement of 1868, or the prior treaties con cerning the matter. The Shanghat pilots Association being formed under the treaties naturally ex-ceted that so long as the treaties Yemained in force they would enjoy the privileges accorded them, under which they were rendering inestimable services to the port of Shanghai, as other foreign pilots were doing in other places along the coast of China. Reference was made some time ago to the manner in which the Association is being obstructed by official action. Old members who wish to retire from the service are unable to sell out their shares, because an apprentice—so far as one of them. is concerned—is not allowed to take the examination to quality for which he has prepared himself by the necessary apprentice ship, and the awkward position is created whereby it is impossible for the older members to take out their share in the capital of the Association, on the one hand,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.