Every available spot crammed with goods, the more perishable sorts carefully covered with tarpaulins as protection against the weather. As yet there are no Customs sheds—a great want—but there is reason to believe they will be take: mediately. Indeed, we were told that plans for a 160ft. shed had already been approved cient for native needs, but there is an in-and that work on them would commence as soon as the season permitted, The Customs' premises have had their day and should cease to be, They are very primitive, more elementary than anything can remember in the Enst, The house of the officer in charge is an ancient mud hut—unfit for any can. Last Christmas an impatient providence burnt the roof off as an incentive to better things, but so far officialdom has not taken the hint. He is to be commiserated who has to spend his nights and days in that house with the mercury far out of sight or rioting among the hundreds and tens. 'A wali through the business part of the settlement is very interesting. The Customs has spent sole 40,000 yen in foreshore reclamation and in.building a jetty. It has also laid out 30,000 yen in road-making. The principal streets are 12 metres and the rest 10 metres broad, with well-built, well-stocked Japanese houses—mostly two storeys in height—on either side. "Phere ace altogether about 250 business louses, large and small, The First Bank of Japan has opened a branch, there are two shipping agencies, a post and telegraphic office, and ance-cleaning factory, owned by Japanese, working 250 or 00 piculsaday by menns ofa gasolene engine. 'The Chinese residents only number 18 persons' and four hongs, but they have done excellently well. Arriving in October last, by the Chinese, New Year several of them had from 1,000 yen to 2,500 yen lodged in the Bank, the eminently satisfactory result of a few mouths' trading. One man was pointed out to us who in that short time had made enough not only oer of its site (400 yen), but also to leave to pay the cost of his new house (1,300 yen) him with a balance in his bankers' hands of about 600 yen, At
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.