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162 MISSIONS AND CHURCHESProgress has been made towards securing permanentequipment. During 1915 the Shanghai Boys and theTaiyiianfu buildings were completed and formally dedicated.Early in 1916 the Foochow Central building was dedicatedand opened for use. The building of the Canton Associationwill be completed in 1916. Contracts have been closed andwork started at Hongkong and Hankow. Plans are completedfor the buildings for Hangchow and the National Headquarters in Shanghai. Permanent buildings in the LilyValley, Kuling, for the Yangtze Valley Student Conferencewill be completed in a few months. A large proportionof the Associations are still working, however, in rentedquarters. The total value of buildings completed or beingerected is Mex. $990,000. Funds have been provided byChinese officials, merchants and others for building sitesnow valued at approximately Mex. $730,000.An encouraging feature of the year has been theincreased amount secured for the work from members andcontributors. During 1915, Mex. $141,754.67 was paid bythe members, or more than twice the amount for the preceding year. Subscriptions secured locally, almost wholly fromChinese sources, amounted to Mex. $38,698.84.^"n ims t l)0r tau t advance has been made inIStaff securing and training secretaries. An encouraging feature has been the increase of theChinese staff as compared with the foreign;at the end of1915 there were 134 Chinese secretaries and 82 foreign.Fifteen of those from abroad are supported by nine missionary boards and societies, and sixty-seven by the International Committee of the Young Men s Christian Associations.Special attention is being given to the training of Chinesesecretaries. The most promising advance in this line duringthe year was the creation of the Secretarial Training Department of the National Committee with Mr. D. W. Lyon asExecutive Secretary. This Department has given carefulstudy to the problem, assisted by a commission of secretariesat the National Conference held at Hangchow, November4 11, 1915. The following activities are contemplated inthe immediate future: (1) selecting training centres andsupervising the training work therein; (2) organizing and