Only one intervening week and Chinese Now Year will be here with ite accompanying week of ab Toast partial suspension of business. During the fortnight that precedes the advent of Chinese New Year is the time that reports usually come in of trade failures among the Chinese dealers, but at the time of writing iv looks as if the annual crop of failures will be a short one this season, and up to date, in the piece-goods trade at least, no failure has so far been reported.
From the Chinese point of view the year baa been a very prosperous one, and not only have the dealers made large profits in handling imported goods at greatly enhanced prices, but the crops generally—especially tea—have been good, and when crops are good it usually follows that conditions generally are favourable for good times. The early half of the year was more favourable to the importers who, during the second half, have been unable to get sufficient stocks by reason of the shortage of tonnage and the inability of Home manufacturers to supply. In the second half of the year the exporters had their turn, reaping the benefits of advanced prices for Chinese exports, although they, too, were handicapped by the same lack of tonnage.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.