From Our Own Correspondent, Tsinanfu, Jan. 13.
We regret to record the death of Mr. George Brauns of the Salt Gabelle, Tsinan, on Wednesday afternoon January 12 in the University Hospital after a long and trying illness. He was admitted on December 13 and was successfully operated on for an abscess within the skull. Later, double pneumonia supervened finally giving rise to an abscess of the lung which proved fatal. He was buried in the new foreign cemetery on the following day, a large concourse of Chinese and foreigners attending the funeral and representing the Consulates, the Salt Gatelle, the Univer sity and many business firms, Mr. Brauns was born April 7, 1882, at Old Peterhof, Russia and was educated at the College of St. Anne's, Petrograd. In 1900 he took part in the defence of the Legations in Peking where he was on the staff of the Russo-Asiatic Bank. During this time' he was severely wounded and for his services was awarded the St. George's Cross of Russia being the first civilian to receive this honour conferred by the late Russian Imperial Government. Later he served both his own and the Chinese Governments in various capacities and acted as Secretary to one of the Russo-Japanese Boundary Jommissions after that war. For some time he was connected with the administration of the Chinese Eastern Railway and later served under the administration of General Horvath.
On August 15. 1913 My. Brauns} was appointed District Inspector of the Chinese Government Salt Revenue and was one of the original foreigners appointed to such a post} by Sir Richard Dane under the} provisions of the Reorganization Loan Agreement. From June, 1914, to January. 1920, he was stationed in Shanghai where he was a popular member of the Russian commun: ity and particularly of the Cercle Sportif Francais. In January, 1920 he was transferred to Shantung with headquarters at Tsinan.
He leaves a young widow and three children who have the deepest sympathy of all the community in their sad loss.
Japan's Railway Electrified Tokio.—Among the bills to be introduced in the current session of the Imperial Diet by the Railway Department, the most important are those proposing the electrification of the State Railways, those mouping out a complete system of railways throughout the country. and those introducing amendments in the light railway law. The first proposal, is due, according to the "Nichi-Nichi,"' to a conviction that no real development of railway The "Foradzw" considers service can be ensured. without lectrifieation. in a country like apan, where the ontout of coal is so greatly limited.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.