Prox Our Own Consrsroxoext, Pakhoi, May 31.
The great event of the past month has been the opening of the new motor-road from Pakhoi to Limchow. Up to the present only two cars have been running, but others have been delivered or are on the way, and the instant success of running the first two, shows that the service will be a popular tone, and will supply a long-felt need. The crowds that assembled at each end of the road to witness the arrival and departure of the cars, are only just beginning to diminish. 'The Toad has not had much Inbour expended on it to make a permanent surface, but gangs of men are kept constantly employed in repairing it, as the surface is '50 soft, though in some places small stones "are being rolled in. The farmers' little stone rollers are being used for that. For about half the distance from Kotak onwards the new road runs on, or close beside, the old one, and two old stone bridges, had to be widened. The widening was done us cheaply as possible, for there is no room for anyone to stand on th bridge between the car as it crosses and the parapet on either side, Nearing Limchow the road has struck out an entirely new track, least of and at a higher level than the old one, in the hope of avoiding summer floods, but it has been made much too narrow and winding for safe and speedy running. There are some very bad S-bends which necessitate very low speed, The larger car of the two is of the omnibus type, very similar to the ones running in Kowloon, and holds 16 passengers, 6 first-dars at '$1.20 fares, and 10' second-class at '80 cent fares. The distance is less than 20 miles and the time taken for the journey is just under an hour. An extension of the road to /Shekhong is already being surveyed and it is hoped that it will be in use this summer.
The new road is under military protection and a few soldiers are stationed at intervals to deal with any brigands who might come along. That this precaution is not unnecessary is seen by the fact that village quite close to Limchow, on the Shekhong road, was looted robbers only a few days ago, very early in the morning.
Some alarm was felt in Limehow recently, at the appearance of an aeroplane flying very high overhead. Tt was thought that it might However, thing, subsequent comparison it went away without doing any:
of dates, suggests that it was prob-jably the French Aviator, d'Oisy, passing from Hanoi to Canton on his way round the world, Owing to low rainfall the people of Limchow are holding processions to the various temples to pray for rain. A little rain has fallen lately, but much more is needed by the farmers.
Since the flight of Gen. Wong Ming-tong last August, his un-{finished mansion on the outskirts of Pakhoi has been in process of gradual demolition, all who would, going there and tearing out floor-boards and window-frames for fire }wood. Occasionally -soldiers have been stationed in it temporarily, Jbut now the authorities seem to have taken it over altogether, and it is said that a mint is to be start-jed in it Already small furnaces thave been built there and a lot of machinery has been installed, in-Jcluding small presses and lathes. Tt is to be hoped that a sound coin-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.