While Sun Chuan-fang's press-ang appears to be doing its work:
'Shanghai with an efficiency which alarming the whole civilian populace, its policy here seems to mild' in comparison with the measures taken elsewhere, In Chinkiang the number of coolie: impres-
Chinere hotels, theatres, recreation halle and tea-houses are visited regularly by the police and from these places men. mostly of the une employed ani poorer classes) in spite of protests. pleas and wailings, are pailed out and bound together with ropes. No escape is possible because ar armed Chinese constable sed is now said to have reached) alway is alway seedy with loaded rifle 10,000, and the methods by which] displayed, are said by a foreigner just re-they were ushered into the service ie oft from Fields turned from that port to have been Guided by pul soldiers visit of the most inhumane description, the field: "daily and carry off In Chinkiang, according to our humorous coolies, while at night, formant, the' civilian populace the doors of the homes of many ade every reasonable effort to coolie are smashed open and the evade this form of conscription poor inmates—for there are gen+ which an unarmed body can hope to erally more than one—are taken Dut up against an armed and dis-out of their beds and dragged away ciplined force. Evidently there was with the others, sufficient in their demeanour to coi The result now is that coolies in vince the troops that they would have trouble in impressing them, Chineve territory are not easy to find and those who do dare go and as a result another method was generally receive good for tried. This, it is stated, was to whatever work they do. Many ea3- compromise the safety of the wives not be persuaded to leave their and children of the men wanted by houses, and the fields are more or the army, and the method adopted: less deserted, with the result. that was a threat to burn the district prices for foodstuffs have now soared then being raided. Anticipating! considerably. ¢hat anything of the kind would bring about a holocaust of the!
It ie understood that orders have Women and children, 10,000 men are been received from the Allied hea: raid to have surrendered to" the gearters instructing the local aumilitary forces, thorities to secure 8,500 coolies for at the front. Only 1,600 Still Going in Shanghai have "been rounded' up and thy Reports from the Shanghs police are still endeavouring the trite state that instead of limiting secure the remaining 2,000, the activities of the press gang as!
The Shanghai Associated Mer-promised by the commander of the chants' und Labourers! Asrociatioss local martial law forces, the Chinese and the Nartao Labour Union have Police' continue to impress. coolies received letters from various stree! into the army with even more unions and labour bodies protesting: Nigour than before, egainet the continued impressing of With the i of soolles into. the army. and trial law, the vexatious practice has demanding the abolition. of the spread to such an extent that. the Press xan. They say that sinew Chinese community ave alarmed. comeription began labourers have been and still are afraid to leave Several methods adopted by the press gang have already been des: their doors for fear of being cribed in these columns, but now tured und they are finding' live dificult as a result, Sitstine peste oh Sunday to the Waichiaopu, It is expected new house tax went into effect.|that the local Consulate General All tenants and owners are to will take immediate action.
Participate ina 10 per cent. tax on the monthly rent. The cole lectors are going through the city Jcompelling all tenants, whether foreign or native, to pay. The Japanese have protested against the levy and have refused to pay the collectors, The banks here have received an urgent request from Tupan Chang. \Chang-chang through Director Chao Chi of the Kiao-Ao Commerical Port to furnish him with $3,000,000 for special military expenses, They. tae held two meetings and'as a result have formulated a reply state ting that they are utterly unable to meet the request and the most they jate able to raise among them is '$4v0,000. Their response has been communicated to Tupan, Chang. security Tupan Chang' plans to is. sue municipal debentures.
The money was obtained by Mx.
Chang, chief of the military supplies department on General Chang's staff.
It is understood that pressure was brought to bear upon the rail-Way and its depositories and the officials could have refused only: with great difficulty, An allegedly irregular feature of the transaction was that the levy was made without cognizance of the Japanese Chief Accountant, My. Sayeki, whose approval ig requires by railway regulations on all or~ ders for disbursements.
Ax soon as Mr. Sayeki became aware of this unusual transaction he notified his Congul-General, Mr. Horinoueh'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.