Ningpo, March 29.
Expansion is always the order of the day in an active community and this old city has given proof of her vitality by allowing her age-worn walls to be pierced by a new gate. This is situated about half way between the North and the West Gates, and has been made chiefly for the convenience of workers in a grass-mat factory on the outer edge of the city fosse at that point. No doubt the promoters ut the factory have been the moving force in bringing in this innovation and the gate symbolizes their hopes, being named the Gate of Gain.
This mat factory was begun in a small way inside the, city about two years ago. Last year it was movei to some old buildings in its present position, about 30 mow of the surrounding rice-fields bought in, and new buildings erected. There are now about 1,000 workers, the majority of whom are women and girls; and a wooden bridge is soon to replace the slow moving ferry between the factory and the new city gate.
The women are paid by piezework, and the skilful can earn up to 40 cents a day. Besides mats of various sizes and designs, dainty grass slippers are turned out soled with leather. Some of the mats are made with the object of replacing in the market Japanese mats of a similar kind, and certainly the patterns on show are very attractive-looking articles, and deserve to get a good sale.
Through almost the entire country from Moscow to Samara all the people travelling in the trains, except the communists, are short of food, as this part of the country has been devastated and pillaged.
Tuy "preserve" anything now-adays. A Chinese arrived in Hongkong recently from Singapore with a jar of ginger to which was added four taels of opium. The court took over the preserves.
Carr. Price of Shanghai, who has several times given exhibitions of flying air balloons at Hankow, was at Ichang the other day. He is engaged by a tobacco company in advertising their wares by scattering literature over the town from a balloon. This is sent up and when it reaches a certain height a contrivance throws out the leaflets and sets free the parachute from which a dummy is suspended. It comes sailing down and the collapse ed balloon follows shortly after. The Ichang. people were greatly taker' with this display and showed their appreciation by tearing up the balloon on its arrival in the strees to make summer clothing with the materials.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.