JULY 19 in Szechuen Mountains Confirmation of the capture of two full-grown Giant Pandas, reported in these columns yesterday, was brought to Shanghai by Mr. Henry Hellssen, Danish jour-rialist, who has just returned following a trip to the Tibet border, through Szechuen and North China.
The Shanghai branch office of the States Steamship Company is to be closed on August 19. In its place a Jocal agency is expected to spring up to handle the ships of the States line and of the other lines for which the States Steamship Company's branch office is now acting as agent.
Beyond the date of Closing the branch here, the local office is uncertain of the future in regard to what ships will continue the trans-Pacific run. It depends on what aid is given by the U.S. Maritime Commission and how soon that aid is given.
The last "General" ship scheduled to sail out here from Portland, Oregon, is the General Pershing, due in Shanghai on July 19. No sailing dates have been set for the General Lee, recently in port. or the General Sherman.
The States Steamship Company's charters of the three "General" ships still have about fifteen months before expiring but without government aids, the company can not afford to run the ships to Shanghai. The "Golden" ships belong to the Oceanic and Oriental s. Company and the loca! States Steamship branch office merely acts as agent. It also acts as agent for the Pioneer Line's vessels. namely the s. Ward, the s. Potter, eic. Its own vessels are named after states.
Fifty per cent. of the Oceanic and Oriental s. Company is owned by the American Hawaiian s. Company and the other fifty per cent. is controlled by the Matson Line. Speaking for the O. & O. Mr. Roger Lap-ham, President of the American Hawaiian Steamship Ca,. recently expressed great uncertainty to a representative of the "North-China Daily News" as to the future of the "Golden" ships. It was a case waiting to see what the U.S. Maritime Commission would do.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.