78 BRITONS V. GERMANS IN CHINA
joyed by the Germans, thus fitting them more for commercial pursuits than our own people. It came therefore as a surprise to the writer to find that the German mer- chants in China had the greatest difficulties in finding suitable young Germans to join. their staffs abroad. Yet certain
correspon- dence showed that this was the case. Moreover, not only was it difficult for them to obtain young men in Germany, but having as they thought found a suitable as- sistant, and sent him abroad, their troubles only began. In many cases he was found to be unsatisfactory and troublesome from the start. It can safely be said that experiences of this kind befell the Germans far more frequently than the British. Be- fore the war we had no great difficulty in obtaining suitable clerks, and it is a remark- able fact that a few years ago one had only to advertise in a Manchester paper for a
BRITONS V. GERMANS IN CHINA 79
clerk to go to the West Coast of Africa at £50 a year and keep in order to receive five hundred applications for the post. It is true that ninety per cent. of the applica- tions would come from persons unfit for the job, but this is only given as an illustration of the general willingness of young Britishers to go abroad and get some experience.
There is no doubt we have sent out to the Far East to manage our Colonial and Commercial interests a class of men fully equal in energy and education to any the Germans have provided in similar circumstances.
The younger members of the German firms were often found to be extremely unreliable; and not only this, but many were not loyal to their employers. Lawyers in Hongkong will tell anyone that they were constantly consulted by young Germans to
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