When the Chinese Ratepayers' Association's newly-elected assembly hold the rst meeting on April 13, members will be asked to discuss the telephone question, a letter of which has been addressed to the ratepayers' association by the Special District Telephone Problem Committee, asking the meeting to suggest to the S.MLC, to order the telephone company to cut down expenses After having been associated with building enterprises in Shanghai for many years, Mr, R, M. ("Bob") Dorance, who recently retired from the Public Works Department, has left Shanghai for Home. Accompanied by Mrs, Dorrance, he left on Tuesday morning, Apr. 6, in the s. Shanghai Maru to Japan, whence the Journey will be completed at the end of this month, via Canada, Mr. and Mrs. Dorrance will ultimately make their home in Belfast.
Mr, Dorrance first came to Shanghai as a seafaring man in 1908. He came ack to settle in 1915, Joining the Old Dock Company, where he performed repair and salvage work on many Yangtsze steamers during a connection of three years. In 1918 he became associated with the Kiangnan Dock and while there was engaged on the construction of four of the largest steamers built in the East. Another important task he supervised was the removal of twelve 62-ton boilers from the 88, Gracie Dollar within 48 hours.
His next job was to build concrete "bunding" in Pootung and Whatung for Messrs, Butterfield and Swire. There followed the construction of large buildings for a missionary enter= prise in Changsha and other outports, Mr. Dorrance joined the P.W.D. in 1925 and has been engaged as a clerk of works in the architectural branch up to the present. "He has been active in sports—football, cricket and lawn bowls—and Is stil! an enthusiastic bowler, He will consequently be a member of the Shanghai team (Bubbling Well Lawn Bowls Section) which will play the Sir Francis Drake Lawn Bowls Club at Plymouth this summer, "Put nothing on but Birrell'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.