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"(c)51-4 APPENDICESNorris informed the Board that it was impossible for himpersonally to exercise this supervision, and that it was iu hismind to request the Bishop of Honan to undertake thisresponsibility on his behalf, until such time as the General Synodshould appoint a Chinese Bishop to the Diocese, when steps wouldbe taken formally to sever it from the jurisdiction of North China.This was considered satisfactory by the Board and the Bishop ofHonan was requested to act for the Bishop in North China in thematter, should it finally be decided to begin work in Shensi.The Board appointed as its Executive Committee, the Rt. Rev.L. II. Roots, D.D., (Chairman), Rt. Rev. W. C. White, D.D., Dr.H. B. Taylor, the General Secretary and the Treasurer; andinstructed the Committee to take action looking toward theestablishment of the new Diocese up to the extent that the fundsin hand would allow.The Executive Committee held its first meeting on April 23rd,and among other things decided that a tour of investigation shouldat once be made into the Province of Shensi, and that BishopWhite and the General Secretary proceed to Sian for that purposeas early in May as possible.This w -is accordingly done, and the Executive Committee metagain on June oOth to receive the report of the investigatingCommittee.They reported (a) That the Province of Shensi is most favorable for undertaking missionary work: (b) that from themissionary point of view many parts of the Province are as yet not:fully occupied that the means of communication are even nowfairly convenient, and that these will be greatly improved whenthe railway is opened: (d) that they had consulted with the twochief Missions having work in the Province, namely thoseestablished in the Capital, and had found no opposition to ourentering the field.It was thereupon decided.(A) to take steps authorized by the General Synod, lookingtowards the establishment of the new Missionary Diocese in theProvince of Shensi j(B) that work should be begun at first in the capital, Sian,then extended eastward along the Wei River valley to Tungkwan;and later on, if further investigation justified it and if funds andavailable workers would allow, in Hsinan and Hanchung;(C) that steps be taken at once to secure and deal withvolunteers for the new field, and to raise the necessary funds forthe support of the work.The question of work in the Diocese by non-Chinese wascarefully considered, and the following resolution passed :That the responsibility for the new Missionary Diocese isborne entirely by the Chinese Church, which hopes to appoint aChinese Bishop in a few years for this work. But the Board ofMissions would welcome foreign missionaries as workers in theDiocese and grants from the Mother Churches toward their