A STRANGE ANNOUNCEMENT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1440, 5 October 1899, Page 31

A STRANGE ANNOUNCEMENT.

* The " Japan Mail" makirs the announcement, on the strength of a Tokyo contemporary, that the directors of tit© Toyo Kosea Kaisha have determined that the officers and crews of their, steamersshall be altogether foreigners. Hitherto they have employed foreigners in the pacity of captain.';, pursers, chief engineers, and navigating officers, the remainder of the crew consisting of Japanese. But the arrangement has not proved satisfactory, owing ito the fact that the Japanese employees have developed a spirit of insubordination ; . and roughness which, if left unchanged, would socn prove fatal to the passenger traffic. The directors apparently see no hope of correcting matters, and have accordingly come to the conclusion that there is nothing for it hat to get rid of the Japanese altogether, and to engage European or American officer;', filling up the lower ranks with Chinese, A Yokohama contemporary adds:—" That is a courageous resolve, and the public will be curious to see how it is carried out. "We believe that the. Nippon Yusen Kaisha- ..would gladly have taken some step of the kind long ago, not as a, permanent measure, but as a means of restoring discipline. The Japanese make excellent sailors, and we all know how courteous and obliging they can be. But after the war with. China the men employed in steamers carrying foreign passengers made themselves exceedingly obnoxious, and had it heen convenient to replace them by Chinese or Lascars, recourse would, certainly have been had to that expedient. Complaints have not been heard for some time new, but apparently their absence must not be interpreted too- favourably."