is China's premier shipping concern but the company hitherto has failed to compete successfully with foreign companies because the persons appointed to take charge in the past have been men of 0 qualification and little experience, petition addressed to the National [Government by the families of those. who went down with the ill-fated str. Hsinkong during a collision with the N.Y.K.S, Tatsuno Maru off the Shantung Promontory on July The petition says that numerous corrupt practices existing in the company in the past have been done away with and numerous improvements have been made since Mr. Chao Tieh-chao assumed his appointment as Director-General of the China Merchants 8. N. Ca. Now, however, it continues, rumours are; prevalent that the business of the company is to be suspended temporarily while the affairs of the company ave being reorganized. The writers hope that this is not true for such suspension will greatly affect China's shipping trade, thousands of Chinese employees will be involved, and the settlement of the janestion of compensating the families those who lost their lives duri the sinking of the Hsinkong will remain pending indefinitely.
The Government is asked not to effect any changes in the company vhich sill prejudice their interests, meanwhile, the families have sent several representatives to Nanking ta request the National leaders to take back China's shipping rights from the bands of foreigners and, to reject Japan's demand for per mission-to ran her ships along the China Coast and on China's inland rivers when this matter is brought up at the forthcoming Sino-Japanese. Conference.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.