Commissioner, has addressed a letter to the Kiangsu Educational Association, the Shanghai District Chamber of Commerce, and several other local organizations to this effect I have received a telegram from the Cabinet, dated March 1, acknowledging receipt of a telegram jointly sent by you as. follows "Recently rumours have been current that Japan was demanding that we should enter into a permanent offensive and defensive alliance with her, whereupon she would give way with reference to the Shantung question. That, if true, is a move to induce open direct negotiations with her, which is causing considerable alarm to our whole nation. Please disclose what you intend to do as quickly as possible, ete." The Cabinet assures me that the allegations about our entering into a permanent offensive and defensive alliance with Japan and 60 forth are absolutely untrue, and that such utterly false rumours must have been fabricated by some person or persons for the purpose of sowing dissension. I am instructed to request your Association and other organizations not to be imposed upon by these groundless rumours. I-have the honour to address you this letter, and so on.
A Hanccnow-Suancuat TEtepnone-
It has been the intention of General Lu Yung-hsiang, Tuchun of Chekiang, to establish a long-distance telephone service between Shanghai and Chekiang, to which sanction has already been obtained from the Ministry of Comniunications. Colonel Liu Hua-chen, Secretary of Military Department at the Tunchun's yamen, has ascertained that the outlay would cost between $30,000 and $40,000.
Coxtrot oF Moron Oar.
General Hsu Kuo-liang, Chief of the Shanghai Constabulary, having regard to the frequency of fatal accidents caused by careless and rapid driving of motor cars, has circularized an order among his subordinate officers to the effect that on and after March 1, the constables on point duty, whether during day or night, shall raise their hands upon seeing any motor car enter Chinese territory as a sign for the driver to reduce the speed of his car to-a slow pace, irrespective of the road being wide or narrow; and that the driver shall be arrested and taken to the Constabulary Court to be punished should he disobey the signal.
Suppression or Gamptina-
Another order issued by General Hsu is about the suppression of gambling. The advent of the Chinese new year is usually seized upon excuse by the people to indulge in gambling. But the law makes no difference as regards the time of the year in punishing gamblers, The Constabulary Chief orders his men to keep a sharp lookout for offenders in' tea shops and other public resorts. "In case gambling is going on in a reputable shop, order it to be stopped; but if the order is disobeyed, the offenders must be arrested "just as other 'Tun Kobe Municipal Council is desirous of imposing' a tax on theatre-goers and the Kobe theatre proprietors are up in arms about it. Considering the business they are doing (says the Japan Chronicle") they seem to be rather unwise to make all this to-do. Business in all sorts of amusements is simply booming, and at the cinematographs the very substantial raising of prices (by anything from 50 to 100 per cent.) does not prevent the houses from being crowded that it is impossible to get into them. Of course the tax on theatre tickets in England, America and elsewhere was easily nianaged during the war. The amount was simply clapped the ticket. But the Kobe theatrical proprietors appear to think this cannot be done in Japan. It seems that their real objection is not so much the tax as the tax-collector and his inquisition as to the precise number of tickets sold.
Tue "Kobe Shimbun" gives a spirited account of how the Prince of Wales, since his return to England, has been very busy receiving (and even answering) love letters that are flowing in from America by thousands. His private secretary has an onerous task in the mere arranging of these letters for the Prince to read. It is said that during the first week after his, return from America, the Prince received 4,500 letters, 60 per cent. of which were from young maidens in Washington and New York. Some of these letters are said to contain photographs of the senders in their best frocks. The Japanese paper says that the Prince finds great pleasure in these letters and if the contents are couched in such terms as give evidence of a sober state of mind, he is pleased to write gracious reply. It is an open question whether this sort of gossip.is._ calculated to irritate more Brit p riga" feelings or American.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.