To the Editor of the "NowrHCuia Dat News."
Sin—Your correspondent "Kew has said much in your columns about the deplorable tate of this Company in the mutter of arrears of wages and lack of proper main= tenance of the Company's ships. Granting that he has based—his writings upon facts, as he said that "he has within the past few days availed him tele of visits to certain of the Company's vessels "with the sole object of wetting at the truth," T must "ay that some of his ments cannot go unchallenged.
In regard to the arrears of wage payment, T rust make itelesr that both the foreign and Chinese ranks, the floating staff as well as those working in the office, have been corded the same treatment, eorvespondent seems. to fay his writings that only the foreign yanks have been maltreated in_ the matter of wage payment, as he fails to mention that the wages of the crew, which range from $30 te $50," have been in many monthe as these foreign ranks: whose wages are ten or twenty bigger. Ib ix true that the stall, floating as well 98 there work-jing. in the office have just received their May wages. But this deplorable state is quite out of the control of the Company's management. For several months, most of the ships under the Company's flag have been commanidcered for the military service, and the charter mone? pas run over halt million dollars Unpaid. What can a shipping firm when all its ships hav deprived of the regular service ant When the chartered money isnot' forthcoming? In face of the finan-he necessary payments, and the managing director and the departmental chiefs have ent gone to the extent of cutting down their salaries spontaneously. Therefore under this. trying condition, every one has gone through much sufferfsnee and. privation. Your correspondent seems to question the integrity of the Company's employees by stating that "the freight on one of the company river vessels for the down trip and which vessel was then in pert, was in' excess 'Ts. 10,000." Where then in the money goi ing and. who is scoo the pool'?" In Snding the truth, your correspondent has not gone] ihrougir a Ittle trouble by making some inquiries 9s to the method of collecting freight charges as practied by this Company. To tell the the freights of this Company'
peen habitually collected three times year—the Dragon Festival, Yhe Mid-Autumn Festi and the end of the year. Therefore, this money as alleged by your corre: Spondent cannot be had vrtit the Mid-Autumn Festival. T presume that this will te enoch to disclose the whereabouts of this Tls_ 10.000, "As to the supply of stores to the ships, the management has in the past found that some members of the crew have habitually requisitioned some articles which are Tot necessary, and that they have simply tried to get some extra money by. selling them out at a cheaper price, Thus the manage-went has instructed the store-keep-to keep a watchful eye on the retisition Hist submitted by different Ships, ard to hsswe only those articles which are deemed necessary.
Concluding, I must say that hold no important position ix the!
Shanghai Office as alle.
correspondent, and that itings can in no way' be con;
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.