The steady wet season makes it possible for steamers to come to port. We have had a visit from the USS. Palos, but her stay was short owing to fear of falling wat The French motor gun-boat is in port and the m.y. Chwan Lan and Chwan Tong make their regular trips from Chungking.—They can find all the cargo they can carry.
The market is pretty well supplied now with kerosene. Indeed there seems to be a little indifference. fon the part of the agents of the companies as to whether they carry stock or not. This, ip to Suifu and buy a cargo of kerosene on credit for two months up to Kiating where price losing the transportation charges. This they make up, however, as they can sell the oil for cash and then have money on hand to purchase other goods and take them to Suifu, and making a profit on these goods purchase more oil and bring it back to Kiating where they undersell the regular merchants of the companies. Thus there is little inducement for the agents of the companies to carry a heavy stock here which they fear they. will not be able to get rid of when the street merchants undersell them from ten to 20 cents per ease. Some scheme like the raising of the price in Suifu will have to be resorted to if the agents here are to be expected to sell any oil. One of the agents here has said that he is [with the company orly for the kudos it brings him. Perhaps six months will see another agent in his place. Possibly not that long.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.