Fakumen, Feb. 6.
A couple of months ago there was called together in Mukden a "Meeting of the Elder Gentry" of all Manchuria. The—Governor-General invited 360 delegates of the unofficial gentry and well-todo landowners from all the coun-tuies in the three provinces, mainly te listen to addresses from himself, Appearing before the assembly of notables in the plainest of cotton gowns, he exhorted his audience to avoid and to discourage extravagance of dress or ornament. "Do not wear silk," he advised. With a view to encourage indust model workshops were to established in the cities, beginning with Mukden.
"Thriff must be everywhere encouraged," said the powerful Chief. "Take my case, My salary is fixed Not one extra penny ao I receive. You can, if you wish, examine the Provincial Treasury account books and see the proof for yourselves. If my salary happens to be insufficient for my expenses, then I fall back on my own Private income from the "business firms which belong to: me in Hsinmintun.
"Look at my public finance. I have paid off all the debts owing to Japan. Not only so, but I have monthly surplus ' revenue of Tue Ando-Saxon [pean The conference being of a private nature. the Governor-General dilated on the characteristics of Japen, as compared with those of England and America. He dwelt on the comparative poverty of the neighbouring Empire, showing his preference for the civilization and the power of the Anglo-Saxon nations. "Wo want to be like the two great countries, England and America," he said. "Let us put down the trade in morphia and opium. In a year 40,000 Ib. of morphia at $400 a pound finds its way into China. Let us try to gob the Chinese to stop buying it."
The delegates to the' conference were to make known to their res-fre tive communities what they heard from the lips of the Chief.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.