Shanghai, 18th January, 1909.
1R,—I hey to bring to the notice of your Chamber a recrudescence of the importation to this port from Manchester of unchopped piece goods. In 1895 this Chamber appealed to you in reference to a similar ease, and since then no instance of such importation has been brought to their notice, but it now appears that a firm here has imported per s.s, Mos/iue 12 hales, each taining 40 pivees, which arrived here on the 22nd September, 1899. One bale of these shirtings is now in p session of one of our large importing houses, which firm has, in conjunction with other rge im: [ener called the attention of this Cham-wer to the circumstance.
these tnchopped piece goods are made use of by Chinese dealers for fraudulent pur po and as the shipment from Manchester is a direct evasion of the English Merchandise Marks Act, the Committee of Chamber place the case in your hands, 1 confident that you will take steps, in the interests of the Trade, to put a stop to such practices.
T now enclose you parcels' receipt for one piece of this unchopped Shizting which I have shipped to you per P. and 0, s.s. Massilia, in order ty assist your Chamber in ascertaining the origin of the goods, and full details of the bale marks and importers' vame you will find in a memo, enclosed herewith.
Tam, Sir, Yours obediently, ssu. D. Litre, Chairman. The President, Chamber of Commerce, Manchester.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.