Another strange tale falls to be recorded. A little while ago the rumour spread op the North River valley that a large namber of lepers were invading the district. The story went that a new doctor was holding out bopes of recovery to these men, The treatment advised was that the leper shoald transmit the poison in his system to s healthy woman and thereby be would be freed from his malady. It may sound incredible, bat notices wore actually cirealated by the Tsingyan and Kiukkong District Magistrates on the subject. These warned the people that number of lepers were touring country under the guise of travelling doctors, fortune-tellers, physiogaomists, etc., with a view to rid themselves of their leprosy. The people were told that summarily to pnt to death such pestilent fellows would not be an infringement of the law. I beard of a colporteur who was compelled to desist from his business because be was suspected of being one of the proscribed lepers.
POLICE AND LABOUR, The police in Shiuchow are now arranged ina neat dark blae uniform with yellow facings. The men soam quite proad of their suits, belts and caps and the citizens are proud of the The rice harvest this year has been rather better than that of last year. First class white rice is selling at twenty catties to the dollar and aohulled rice ranges _in price from $2.20 to $3.00 100 catties, Ground nate plentiful, but the quality is below average. They suffered from lack of rain. We have good reports of the with to tide over the winter sugar-cane crop. With a good harvest
wer thea usual of the farming class feel compelled to labour in coal mines and consequently prices are up. The coal mines in the district are surface mines which are worked spasmodically in the slack season, Usually the labour market has 8 inflex of Honanese who migrate South of the Range " to this land of comparative wealth and larger wages, but this year the work on the railway, where forty cents per diem are being paid, has lured the roving labourer farther South. Coal is selling at Lai puta at about forty centa per 100 catties.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.