Body Now Takes Li important Position in Local World; Began Here at Critical Period Shanghai, Oct. 23, first meeting of the 1940-1941 session of the Engineering Society of China took place on Monday evening, at the Henry Lester Institute of Medical Research, 1920 Avenue Road, when the newly elected President, Mr. N. W. B. Clarke, M. Eng., M. Inst. C.B., M.L Struct, E, gave his inaugural address consisting of a brief histor; of the society with historical notes on the period of its formation 1901-1940, construction was in brickwork and In the course of his address Mr. imber, and the present Garden Clarke said that a glance at the due' had not been built, all reads origin, growth and development were either water bound " macadam, the soclely might perhaps guide and chip-paving or plain mud; there. was encourage them in. the conduct of water borne sewage scheme. There their present and future communal were no motor ears, trams or buses, professional life in these dark and few bicycles and only a few semi dificult days. The present times un-uvately operated telephones. Elec doubtedly were unprecedented, yet tric lighting was well established and today, despite all the troubles and being rapidly extended but electric setbacks of the past 40 years, they power was in" its infancy. The were representing a larger, better Waterworks and Gas Companies were qualified, more widely experienced already well established concerns international group of engineers in were the Great Northern and Eastern China than ever before, Extension Telegraph Companies which When Society was Founded had already been amalgamated; the Pacific cable was being laid. Al-might be of some interest, and though Avenue Edward VII and Vu profit before considering the life of Ching Road were still creeks, the society itself to glance at the con-there was a flourishing dockyard ditions prevailing at time of the trade, Messrs. S.C, Farnham Boyd foundation in the world in, general, Ca. (Old Dock) being the leading and China and Shanghai in particular, firm, " As an example of their work, Tu 1901, the Victorian Era, Lo, the the frst upriver steamer s. Pioneer expansive free trade phase of British was launched on Aprit 3, 1900, left history, was drawing to a close.
Shanghai on her maiden voyage There was what would now be June 8, and arrived safely in Chung-garded as a minor colonial war in king on June 20, 1900. progress in South Africa, France and Germany were anxiously watching Civie Service each other and England's activities in Mr. John Prentice, Managing Direc Afviea, and England and Japan were for of Farnham Boyd & Ca, a concerned about Russian penetration founder member of the society, was Manchuria, Chairman of the Council, Chair-'Although "mechanical engineering man of the Works Committee, and had got well into ils stride and alle Acting Chairman of the Couneit from ways) were in their heyday, there October 31 onwards, So there was were few internat combustion engines at least one good precedent for civie for motor vehicles, no aeroplanes or service by engineers, submarines, no radio or asphalt roads, Bleetrie power, wireless telegraphs Into this changing and potentially land reinforced conerer were in their fertile environment, their society was infancy as also were steam turbines. born, fathered by the then leading Empiricism was rapidly giving, way engineers and architects of the city to rational investigation and design and very obviously deriving its form and invention was prolific. and substance from the parent en-'The technical press of the day was gineering institutions in London. On the initiative of Messrs. G. J. much concerned with electrical apmilitary equipment, especial-Morrison, C. H. Godfrey and others, and the training and, status an invitation was published in the Shanghai newspapers on January 5, of engineers in the Navy. The Trades Unions were becoming powerful and 1901, requesting those interested in the formation of a local professicaat causing trouble and, as usual, every, tone groaned under "crushing" society to attend a preliminary mect~ ing in the Town Hall, Shanghai, on taxation, January 15, 1901," The meeting was Eventful Year duly held with 52 persons attending.
During this eventful year white the So the "Shanghai Society of Engine-first British submarine was launched ers & Architects" thus came into and the first turbine propelled ini being. chant ship King Edward made 20. nets on her trials, in China the Em= jetty, opened the first press Dowager wielded tyrannical session on March 5, 1901, with @ most power and her extreme anti-forel Interesting inaugural address and the fam had encouraged the boxer first paper was read on April 2, 1901, foreign outbreak in 1900. But the by Me, J. R. Harding and was on: beginning of the century was also the tilled "The Erection of South Cape beninning of a great expansive move Light House, Formosa". ment in China and the Boxer Proto First Session Goes Well €o] Was In part the financial basis of Subsequent engineering and commer The first session went very well. There were two meetings and two Britain, Germany, Russia, Belgium, visits, a library was started, a meet France and the U.S.A. were all inter= ested in of actually building and operating railways in China.
'A British company which had open~ and dirceled the Kaiping mines for a Chinese concern now took over the entire administration of the mines and subsequently. developed into the Kailan Mining Administration. The Chinese Maritime Customs, virtually fin international civil service, und Sir Robert Hart wax performing many useful functions including the Fighting of the China Coast The Whangpoo Conservancy Board was yet up by. the Boxer Protocol Dut did not commence work on the river ing room at No, 1, Ming Yuen Road was leased, and a first volume of "Proceedings" was published by conthu: not Tong outlast the the *North-China Herald." This fine
Mr. Morrison and. in October of that year the hew President, Mr. A.
Wood, bewailed poor attendance at meetings in his Presidential Address Meetings fell off badly in the second session but it is notable for the firs paper on "Foundations in Sfian: by W. J.B. Carter and Charles Mayne which, even in those days, called forth voluminuots discussion.
Mr. Bunt, the third President, initiated the society's connection with technical education in Shanghai and which again 1001 dition tie tempora or during this session, 1903-4, papers picked up, the first bers, Messrs. Morrison were elected on their retirement from and the frst paper on "Techni 0 in Shanahi prise lents' papers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.