To the Editor of the "Nonru-Cutwa Dany News"
Sunj~I shall esteem it a great favour you will kindly have. this lettre Published in your valuable Journal for the attention of the Ministry of Communications in Nanking.
have a Scottish friend who has had over 34 years' experience in navigation. In 1911 when the Revotuon broke out in Wuchang he came to China to help Dr. Sun Yat-sen in his fosie of revolution, Afterwards, fur one reason or other, he gave up his political career and assumed seamanship again. He yas granted 3 captain's certificate by the former Peking Government and when te Koumintang Party came into power, 8 new certifate was also granted to him by the Nanking Government in 1929 for a term of Ave years. He has served fourteen years ina Chinese registered steamer, for which he hag shown an absolutely clean On the expiry of the certifiexte granted him by ihe Nanking Government. he sent it together with seven Gollars to the Local Bureau of Shipping and Navigation at the beginning of last year and asked them to get it renewed, several days after which he received reply from the Bureau Informing him to the effect that same had been forwarded to the Ministry of Communications in Nanking for renewal and that within three oF four days he would receive a renewed certificate from Nanking, for which he was very grateful. it has been over a year and half since the dee ment was sent 10 Nanking by Local Bureau. However, to his great disappointment, he has' not yet received the renewed certificate nor his hho got back his old one up to the resent, At the beginning of this month, when I learned from the local press that the Seaman's Examination conducted by the Ministry of Com: munications would be held October 16, 1 recollected the regula tions promulgated recently. by. the Ministry, Then T went to inform hin that according te the new regulations everyone, irrespective of his nationality, who desires to obtain a certificate from the Ministry of Communications must go to the Local Bureau to sit for examination snd that it might be due te this point that no renewed" certificate was' sent to him. Upon this he said that to }do s0 is not only an insult to himsel= Out to his profession as well, inasmuch og such new regulations apply only to those applicants wno apply for certificates for the frst time instead of applying to those who ave already. served five years or Jmore in a Chinese registered steamer.
Such being the case, Tam ats {oss to understand why the authorities in the Ministry of Communications delay issuing to him 'a renewed certificate for such along time. 1 fear that there "may be many other seamen, both Chinese and foreigners /who are receiving treatment similar to that which is being received by my friend, Tane. Shanghai, Oct, 29, 3
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.