The temper of the malcontents was well exhibited at a meeting held in the. Chinese city on Wednesday and attended by some 500 rice shop keepers. Among the speakers was the Vice-President, of the Rice Dealers' Guild, but" as the tone of his speech was moderate and conciliatory, he was not allowed to get very far with his remarks, He ventured to suggest that the measures proposed by the Council were well devised to protect the people from profiteering and the illegal export of rice; be even went so far as to hint that the Council were determined to insist upon regulations which were in no Way oppressive, or even onerous.
This was too much for a noisy minority amongst those present—it was observed that the majority temined silent and were neutral so far as an expression of opinion went. There were cries of "We want to go on strike" and " Put him outside. He is a profiteer. The speaker was effectually howled down, and the meeting adjourned in disorder.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.