After a threatened famine a feast, and more: The prospects of the rice harvest seemed so bad that native merchants
Steamers were chartered as perhaps plunged heavily in purchases of the staple. never before, and cargo after cargo came into the harbour. With them came also the rain in quantity sufficient to save part of the crop. Immediately prices began to come down, and now when there is a prospect of saving half of the yield, consignees cannot part with their rice without losing $2. picul. The Customs rate indicates a drop of $1, and this moves slower than the market. as a rule. The godowns are full, and the prospects for the winter decidedly bad. It looks as if there will be a heavy crop of failures, to make up for the shortage in the rice crop. The insurance com-panics are making money, for the stocks of rice and goods which cannot find a market are being secured against fire risks.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.