In the course of his speech Dr. Wang Shih-chieh sald:—
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are' gathered here to-day for the occa sion of the opening of the new build-Ing. of the Association. Since the inception of the Association some three and a half years ago, it was felt that the Association should have its own premises. Steps were, therefore, taken towards realising' this obeet, in looking for suitable grounds: and' in raising the necessary funds, With the help and assistance from not only members but also other: friends, we were able to lay.the foundation stone of this building last year and brought it to completion few Weeks a0.
"The Association seems to have already made a good beginning. By way of exchanging lecturers, arranging professorial chairs, and other similar activities, it has been able to arouse Increasing interest in Sino-British cultural ce-operation among our intellectual circles. It" is also evident that similar development 1s shown in Great Britain "While something has been done withoutsour hav-dug a building, we are eonfdent that with the completion of this building, the members of our Association will have more. facilities for personal contacts ¢0 conducive to the Interests fof the "Association, and its activities may develop on a more progressive must now say something regarding the business we have transacted for this building. Regarding finances for this building, we are thankful to the Board of Trustees for the Administration of the British Indemnity Funds for its grant of $90,000. Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education also help fed the construction of the building. by making grants. The British Council, through the. efforts of Mr. W. S. King, has contributed considerably towards the furnishing of the building, and the Federation of Brit-{sh Indiistries, through the good of-flees of Mr. R. Calder-Marshall, has also donated useful gifts.
'The Board of 'Trustees, the British Returned Students' Union in Shang-hal and in Nanking have all sent in presents for the opening. Special mention: must be made regarding Mrs. Kenneth Cantho, who has been Indi fatigable in her efforts of beautifying the garden and grounds, "With the coming of spring we will surely reap the fruits of her efforts, To each and all of these parties may I ex-ress, on behalf of the Association, His hearty appreciation Association, so that our work for the promotion "of goodwill and cultural Pelatloaship between Great Britain and China' may be still-further enhanced and that the intellectual ties between the two countries may be made firmer than ever before.
"As you probably know, to-day is the seventieth birthday of President Lin Sen. Though no public celebration is ordered by the Government, in deference to the request of the President himself whose life has been characterized by simplicity and democratic spirit, a feeling of joy and affection seizes us all on this birthday of his. The fact that the open-ug of this building is associated with the birthday of such a. widely be-Toved national leader will certainly make the present gathering all the more delight{ul and memorable. In concluding, T wish to say long live President Lin Sen, and long live the Sino-British Cultural Association.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, with these words, T nave the honour to declare hereby that the building is open."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.