The diamond drill., 1920-10-16

Dear Toni realize that I've been a
long time getting around to keep my
promise 10 write you. / thought l
would wait until our journey was over
and then after we got here there seem :
ed 10 be no time. There had been no
doctor here for two years. and so when
l landed everybody seemed to come
at one time. / ran of lot OF oper-
ative cases the first week-in fact
there were three or four in the hos
pital waiting my coming. Then there
were some accident cases brought In.
There is a good deal OF tin mined in
this region. To be more accurate a
bout one half OF the worlds supply
OF tin cans comes from the Malay
Peninsula. One company, eight or
ten miles away, employs about $50
men, and mine by means OF huge
dredges. That always means some
one getting hurt and there were two
bad accident cases the first week j
was here. Speaking OF tin mining,
however. until recently American Cos.
have not been represented out here
but they are now coming In. AS fell
low passengers with us as far as Sin
gapore there were four young men
coming out TO the Straits Settlements
10 represent the Guggenheimer inter-
ests. Another passenger on our boat
expects TO visit us here soon and VIII
loqk into both tin and rubber.
OF course you know that this is a
great rubber country; not so much
right here but further south. Every
thing that isn't tin Is rubber. Great
H.. Ch nf
rubber done up in big bales and there
is always more where they came from
Excessive taxation in both tin and
rubber however, has kept developers
away from Siam. A more liberal pol
Icy on the part OF the government on
the Straits Settlements has greatly
encouraged both OF these industries.
But Siam is awakening and will, some
day, see her mistake.
But to go back to our Journey here
We were in an American registry
ship OF the China Mail-the good
ship Manking. That Is she might be
termed good IL she was not such roll
Ter. / do believe she would roll II
she were in dry dock. The service
was most excellent--fine food and
plenty OF &C. The dining room was
arranged like that OF a hotel, instead
of the long rows OF tables, as usual.
We had family table all 10 ourselves
you recall that there are enough OF
as for that.
There was an interesting lot OF peo-
pie on board and ! could fill more
pages than / have time for telling a.
bout them. One OF them. however
was Mr.. Frank Crane. new United
States Minister TO China. Learning
that We were on our way to Siam he
told me OF his special interest in that
country. IL seemed that his daughter
had only recently married a grand son
OF one OF the earliest missionaries out
here. With that as a point OF con
tact we became good friends, spend
jng a good deal OF time together. He
ts a man or large experience In the
Industrial world and has made a spec
ial study OF far eastern politics. He
loves the Chinese and In him they
have most able and sympathetic
friend. You may depend upon IL In
so far as he is supported by the ad-
administration, u. s. interests in China
will be cared for.
Japan has, however, not looked up
on his appointment with any degree
of enjoyment but nevertheless they
showed him every courtesy, while we
were in Japanese ports.
When we finally arrived at Shang
hal he was met at the docks by the
whole diplomatic body and by high
officials OF Chinese government.
An amusing thing happened In both
Japan and China. They say that Mr..
Crane and yours truly resemble each
other, especially when we have
our hats on Che has more hair on the
top OF his head than / have) In Yo-
kohama a representative OF one OF the
newspapers asked me for an inter
view, taking me for Mr.. Crane. and
the same thing happened in Honolulu
and Shanghai Thus for a moment
was l allowed to bask in the light OF
the great ones.
We arrived in Shanghai on May "a
and were met at the dock by our
friends. As we were breaking the
journey there our baggage was landed
and loaded on wheelbarrows and taken
TO the storage building. You would
scarcely believe that one man could
wheel two trunks weighing close on
to $50 pounds each. but they do II
right along.
We left the same day for 500 Chow,
one Of China's oldest and biggest cit
les. II is only about so miles from
Shanghai and was by royal decree
nearly 5000 years ago. II Is a walled
city and has many huge gates which
are closed at regular hours every
night. Like most OF the Chinese cit
les. its streets are very narrow here,
even wheelbarrows cannot run and we
must take either n donkey or a sedan
chair. rode Q was going to say I'm
both) the little donkeys and while do
ing so just wondered where you. my
old friend. would have put your legs.
A friend out there just about your
build is said 20 have Just stood on his
tip toes and they led the little animal
right under him and. letting his feet
Nat on the ground, was on. The
chairs are, perhaps. the most com