THE AMAZING EAST.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVII, Issue XLVII, 6 March 1912, Page 6

THE AMAZING EAST.

Among the passengers by the E. and A. steamer St-. Albans, which arrived iii Sydney last- week from Eastern Ports, was Mr J. J. Wililams and his wife, from New York. Mr Williams is as sociated \yith the well-known Williams, Endicot Syndicate, which, besides bein? a financial institute, has large interest" in Chinese railways, in paper manufactories, and in South American railway.-, and stock. The syndicate is also interested in telegraph and telephone services, and helped to float tile Hankow j loan of £IO.CCO,OCO. { Mr Williams has stated that hit I intention when he left New Yorl; was to take a trip through the East, and to see China and Japan. On arriva. in China the first news they heard wa of the revolution of the people in favou: of a republic. Passengers were desire*, not to land, and he decided to continue on the round trip. At Macao, a por near to Hong Kong, 93 Portuguese ofli cers and men were taken 011 board, t< gether with about nine tons of ammuni tion and a quick-firing gun. These wer: landed at Timor, where an insurrectioi is eoing on. "On landing at Timor," said Mr Wi liams, "we were surprised at the primi tive 6tate of the principal town. It cnK contained about 150 houses,, most ci them were like the huts in Madras -shaded with trees, the whole town look ing like a country village. One notice able effect cf the uprising agains' the Portuguf®" rule was thp fact that natives did not assemble in the marketplaces to pav their taxes. It is reckoned that natives numbering nearly 25.C0C ar» fully armed with- modern rifle?, which it is freely stated thev obtained from' the Dutch: and the Portugue**will hnv.-> a"l their time to remain in possession of the Timor group." Mr, Williams in referring to Japan, said he was of ooinion were th»race of the near future which the Eui"v np(in races would in conflict No countrv of the Asiatic Taces he h"' ever visited showed such wonderful developments. Not only was Japan a nation to fear in the future as n romp-'t? tor. but sb» had alfo entered into tb< the world of finance in connection wtt'" %.he loans to Korea and China. Jaofbad shown hor bus'"e?s ant-'tude bv ing away from the biccest.American anEnei : «h tobacco manufacture^ "opclies th«»v he'd, now controlled by tb' Government-. Janan was st"~ <Tilv end^nvourin"- to rrr.t control of tb' Ea* f . and it b»* " «-er*o"<! mens"" ♦ n«ace of the world if the\ oh i f , Mr W'UiaiP" "'lc] nr> that h" w>s wit'-h what ne had &:en c Australia.