Mukden's Playful Ways with the Cigarette Manufacturer Peking, Nov. 3.
A message from Mukden states! that the local tax officials recently attempted to impose a surtax of 20 per' cent. upon cigarettes manu factured locally... The foreign manu. facturers resisted on the ground that the proposed levy was a violation of the agreements into which they had entered with the Government three years ago, when they agreed to the payment of a tax of 5 per cent. ad valorem on condition that no further taxes were impoted upon their products for a period of ten years. Eventually the attempt to impose the tax was abandoned but policy was introduced of in-fioting heavy fines upon the manufacturers for alleged attempted smuggling.
The message states that the manufacturers declined to be mulcted in this fashion and as their stores became filled to the utmost they had to stop manufacturing.
During the past week a settlement has been reached and the factories have -resumed work.
Reuter's Pacific Service.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.