There has been little or no change in the rice situation during the past week. Prices have shown a slight decline.
The Shanghai Students Union met on Wednesday and decided that they would hold an entertainment in one of the local theatres next week and the funds raised thereby would go towards buying rice for cheap sale. The merchants are asked to cooperate in the sale of tickets, ete.
Word was received in Shanghai on Wednesday that Parliament recently addressed an interpellation to the Central Government urging the enforcement of the rice embargo. It was pointed out that the price of rice in Kiangsu and other provinces has risen abnormally, nearly three times deaver than usual, and that if no measures are adopted by the Government, the price will continue to rise even higher than $16 per picul. Parliament has not heard of any steps being taken to discourage the efforts of unscrupulous merchants who have all the time been smuggling rice to Japan.
Striking silk fature workers in Chapei crossed into the Settlement on Saturday and, mingling the regular workers, entered filatures in Alabaster and Winchester Roads and tried to induce them to quit work. Finding their overtures were not graciously received, they interfered with the work by severing the threads, and then left. The managers closed the mills on Sunday in order to arrive at a settlement of the difficulty. All silk filatures in the West Hongkew District were busily at -work on Tuesday, except out in Winchester Road where there were still some labour difficulties.
The Nagai Wata Kaisha cotton mill No. 5, in Macao Road, is not without its labour troubles. On Monday, of its staff of 250 women in one of the departments, only 20 turned up for work and the mill was closed in the afternoon. The night shift came on at six o'clock and worked all night as usual, with only 30 absentees. At six o'clock on Tuesday morning, however, none of the 230 women appeared, and the mill was closed for the day, but work was resumed on Thursday, the hands been then willing to return without increase of pay.
Zan Dzang Cotton Mill in Robinson Road now has its turn with labour difficulties. At 6 o'clock on Wednesday morning the 160 women workers in its spinning room failed to appear and the mill was closed for the day pending discussion of the women's demand for Righer pay. At the same time 80 women at the Sung Sing Mill in Ichang Road walked out, but the machinery ran as usual, as this was but a portion of the staff.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.