The long desired change in the weather has come, and a succession of bright, warm, sunny days has given the young rice a decided help forward.
In order to relieve suffering among the poorer classes, and also to steady the price of rice the Governor has issued a proclamation ordering the sale of government rice at reduced ras. His Excellency warns those who are adopting illegitimate means for keeping up the price of rice, and says he will investigate and punish the offenders whoever they may be.
The Police Commissioner is on the trail of those who are carrying silver, or silver dollars, away from Kueiyang. He has published a proclamation stating that he intends to appoint officials at all the gates for the purpose of searching suspected parties, whee ther travellers or business men who leave the city. No individual is allowed to carry more than Tls. 20, or $30 in silver, from the capital. If more than that amount is discovered on the person of the traveller it will be confiscated.
some respects it is a farce, for 10 or a dozen friends may escort the traveller outside the city, and it will be an easy matter for them to carry the money out with them and transfer it to him when parting from him beyond the barrier. Hows, it shows the financial situation is sufficiently serious to warrant the Commissioner's adopt ing drastic measures to prevent the export of silver from Kueiyang.
Woxes ror Tae Harvest.
Recruits continue to arrive from the outlying parts of the province, and it looks as if they are not all volunteers, for some of them need a little persuasion to help them along. When watching several hundred pass last Tuesday one of the onlookers asked a friend, "If the Government takes all these men from the rural districts, what will the people do about gathering the harvest in the autumn?" The answer was very suggestive, and the one questioned replied. "Oh. they will have to employ the women.""
News to hand from the Mu country says the outlook there is very ominous. There will be next fo no crop of corn. and the people have no reserve supplies to draw From the eastern part of the province we learn that cholera has made its appearance in those districts. but up to the present we have been unable to gather reliable information as to the death rate.
Tae Chinese Press says that fewer than 1,900 newly recruited soldiers have been despatched to Fukien where General Li Hou-chi is preparing for hostilities.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.