MR. CHU OF CHINA.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, 8 May 1925, Page 12

MR. CHU OF CHINA.

“LIKES EXGLAND VERY.” IMPORTANCE MOST GREAT Interviewing a Chinese of high caste, and of eminence in the worm of commerce is no child’s play, especially when it is undertaken in- the waitingroom of a huge London railway terminus. Yet I emerged quite triumphantly froin a long hearing ot Mr P. Y. Chu, Adviser to the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture! and Commerce, aim onioi Mining Engineer to the Chung Using Colliery of Chantung, China, who has just left London on ms journey vo Now York (a London “Evening News” representative writes). Air Cliu’s ' knowledge of English is quite romarlcablei, buc liis pronounciation of it gave one the impression—which one gets with other- Chinese —; that his tongue, somehow., was tipped with teak. However, between the clicking lie gave me some interesting iulorination. “I like the English very,” he said. “All . China like Englishmen; his' character is so strong. He determines quickly. And because all over the world English language is spoken, his importance is most- great. We try to copy the systems of the 'Englishmen in our mines in China—though I don’t think it always is best for one country to copy another country. But for China to copy the Englishman's ways—yes, 1 think it is good.” ' ■ : Air, Chu is very tall for a Chinese— 7 five feet five at least. It struck me he might_ be an athlete, for the grey bail's, which ad'd so much dignity to a Chinese, are only just peeping through his ample supply of blue-black locks. “How about English sports? Do you practise them in China now?” I asked him.

“Not in the coal mine areas, of course,” he replied.

BOXING AND FOOTBALL

“We try in China to maintain East and West sports together. We cannot quite copy all your sports. Tho old Cninese sport ot renmig witu swords we continue, and we have ■started to occupy , our youths with boxing and football. “It is very interesting. We in China are old people,. You English are quite young, and America ,s very young also; but yet your coal mines, which I have with great pleasure visited, through the kindness of the Federation of British Industries, in Durham, Nottingham, Newcastle, and Cumberland, and other places, are very old —very old, indeed; and most of them- require a journey of 600 yards to reach them.

“While in China, which is old, our mines are very young and ivc can reach them in about 300 yards. “Also, we have great advantages in our mines through the devlings which >iou have accomplished in yours. “We havei nob been going through long years of slow improvement in equipping our mines; our mines have been only quite newly exploited, where-’ as yours have been better equipped each year. • ELECTRICITY “Now old China comes along with new and undeveloped nuucs, ami installs at once all your new technical machinery—compressed air, cleeuicuy, steam cranes and other things. “Jt is a great advantage. But although we adopt all these things, I believe China must work out her own developments in the future. She must not rely entirely on the .West lor ideas.”

Mr. Chu is obviously trying hard to spur Ins ancient country out of that stagnation into which she settled without struggle some thousand years agoWith this idea in his' mind ho has been visiting Belgium, Era nee, Australia, and is shortly proceeding to America —any-whero 'where there are coal mines. “What strikes me most, about the working of your mines in England is that you concentrate almost entirely on producing your coal as economically as possible. That practice jhows the great merits of vour English systems, and I think it is such things as that which have caused the Chinese to have so great a confidence in the English business man. ENGLISH IDEAS “China is not yet quite undisturbed internally, but things are rapidly becoming bettor, and I think before long China will be very glad to have English assistance in carrying ml. some M the schemes which I have in my mind. “The ways and manners of people m London I find very interesting, but all are not entirely new to nm, because for a long time —twenty years— I have been working with Japanese', with Englishmen, and other foreign nations. “But 1 like. London so much that T hopo very much to return here shortly and see all my London friends once again. “I was very glad of the chanco which my Government gave me to come to England and other Western continental countries, and :,ce for mvcelf the exact conditions .hey work and play under.”