336
will be willing to accept a secular position even if the
amount of work justified the appointment of an Officer with
no other duties to perform
10. Interpretation therefore and Translation
of Chinese im the Government Service still remain in as un-
satisfactory state as they were found to be in 1887, There a
are no competent translators; the junior class of interpre-
ters is in great part inefficient, and it will be impossible
to replace the only two really proficient interpreters when
they vacate their posts. The only remedies for this state
of affairs are for the Government to take upon itself the
instruction of student-interpreters and to arrange and
classify interpreters in one Department. This plan was adopted:
in 1897 in the Straits Settlements and is reported to have
work on the whole with success, and has lately been adopted
in the Malay Federated States. But the possession by Chinese
of a good knowledge of English is of great value in the Far
East, and to ensure efficient interpretation the Government
must make up its mind to recognize this and to pay the
market price. It is equally important to remember that to
retain