To, the Editor of the "Nowr-Ciiwa DaiLy News."
Sut,—I would like to place on record for all the world to see, the disgust and dissatisfact the occasion of the Royal Empire Society's lunch at the Cannon Street Hotel.
To begin with, if the Society en-horses these statements they should quickly name to that, not riy' of us have known Sir} Harry Fox for a period of years—personally the acquaintance goes back to 1905—which is long enough, The whole speech bristles with accuracies and half-truths, and correspondingly dangerous unjust. I agree with you, Sir, that indubitably "Sir Harry Fox knew! what he was talking about and therefore the question arises as to the underlying motive behind it all. If it was inspired, then by whom?
'AS to the inaccuracies and the half-truths one does not need to
For instance delve into the, speech very deeply. law-abiding person and seldom "or speaking generally, a
ever sees the inside of a Chinese Court of Law, much less a gaol, from one year's end to another".
No, and a very good thing too, but it seems to me that the only rea-gon why this is so is because we: have had the protection of our own Consular Courts wherein we must be sued, if at all, by the Chinese.
What would happen were it otherwise, I should like to know?
Take a case of importation of, flour—or anything else you like, Judieated as to quality perhaps, in Chinese Court—either the importer would be mulcted or imprisoned nine times out of ten.
'Take a fire insurance claim—and those of us who know, realize that fully 80 per cent. of' the Chinese claims for loss or damage by fire are fraudulent. 1s are mostly surveyed and reported upon by a neutral fire claim adjuster and set-Blod accordingly, and if not mutual~ ly agreed to can then'be brought to our Consular Court of Law—I am speaking of Tiéntsin—for a final de-_ jon. And it is surprising how many claimants are satisfied with the surveyor's estimate of the actual Joss incurred, quite irrespective of the original amount el for oF the-fall: value of the policy.
Those of us who know, realize how extremely dificult, unpleasant,'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.