correspondent in to-day's issue raises an important point in conneetion with the present discussion on the subject of the fees charged by rubber company secretaries and managers, There is undoubtedly a tendency "in these days to criticize the remuneration paid to such of cials, and while there may be some for the criticism it is imative that they should be treated fairly throughout. Thus is it a well known fact that when the rubber growing industry fell on the evil days, from which it is now recover-Ing, salaries in the plantations were reduced drastically, and Shanghai rms managing the companies either had: to forego or accept considerable reductions in the fees which they received, It is also common knowledge that in some instances actual assistance was given to the rubber companies without which some of them could never have carried on, must always be a matter of opinion as to whether the remuner= ation paid in these cases is too high oF not, and comparisons of rahes may not always convey the correct impression. Whether this is 0 oF not, care should be taken to see that, whatever is done in the matter ulti. mately, those who are at present under fre should have their merits well og their faults taken. into consideration. There is many shareholder of rubber companies in Shanghai to-day who would be holding worthless paper if it had not been for the manner in which thei maligned servants stood by them it the dark years, and while there may be room for some changes, common gratitude requires that whatever is done should be done with a backward eye to the help which was then sivan,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.