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Show Commander Orser Tells Of Orient Cruise Following is an excerpt from a letter received recently by Mrs. Mary Orser from her grandson, Commander Stanley Orser, who is in command of the Destroyer Laws, and is noW( on a two-month cruise. It is very interesting to note the habits, customs, ' etc. of the people in the Orient, related by Commander. Orser as follows: Sunday, May 30, 1954 "This has been quite a cruise; we've seen quite a bit of the Orient and yet have spent plenty plen-ty of time at sea. The miles have really slid under the keel cinfo ;f lpft. the states. Just now we are in port in Koohsuing (Kow shung), Formosa. For-mosa. It's on the southern end of the island, a city of about 300,000 and has grown to that in the past four years from about 120,000 It is a Chinese city; as such it is the first IVe been in. It is all very interesting interest-ing since the Chinese method of government is rather devious. They are very anxious to show us a good time; hence there is a lot of social activity; we are having a dinner party on board tonight for the mayor, chief of police and others in the city administration. This island grows a great deal of rice; they harvest three crops a year and the yield is good. In additiori to the rice, peanuts, a flax and tropical fruits are the main crops. The water buffalo is the beast of burden and there seems to be a swarm of people everywhere every-where you look. Manpower i not the shortage in the Orient. We. were taken up to the mountains yesterday to visit the aborigines who are of Malayan i0ppnt small but wiry and hardy; they have kept their blood stream clear and maintain main-tain their own way of life. Their villages, houses, dress, and method of living are distinct dis-tinct from the people of the plains. They remind me in their dancing, singing and appearance of the Indians although smaller and darker. It might seem that this is a hot place to be with all the' trouble, but since we are also away from the newspapers, it makes it seem remote. It does not look quite so bad from here as it might be thought. I must get dressed for a cocktail cock-tail party with the Chinese; I wish the weather weren't so hot, it is not very comfortable to move around here. |