The plight of the Mission to Seamen ought to commend itself to sympathisers in Shanghai. It is indeed regrettable that the fifth largest port in the world should find itself without any special amenities for the men who have helped to build it to international eminence. In his speech at the annual meeting on Thursday, the Rev. F. W. Weaver made reference to this distressing fact when he declared that the Mission to Seamen had practically gone out of business because the sum of $1,000 a month could not be raised to cover the increased rent of the club premises in Canton Road, Whether the premises are worth such a rental is a matter of opinion but against this is the alternative of seeing men of the mercantile marine, carriers of the world trade and the backbone of Britain's economic existence, walking, the streets of Shanghai seeking preferred pleasures far removed from the wholesome atmosphere of the Mission. Mr. Weaver's appeal will undoubtedly receive a sympathetic response but it should be pointed out that inequalities such as this cannot always be avoided in the stress and strain of the situation now confronting the world and works variously on the sentiments of charitable Shanghai. The appearance of a larger need such as assistance for the British effort in Europe sometimes accidentally obscures others and diverts normal efforts into different channels. This is probably the explanation of the Mission's plight for it is significant and complimentary of Shanghai's capacity for giving that despite the extraordinarily heavy new calls few if any of the local institutions have suffered seriously since the war started.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.