To the Editor of the "Nonri-Ciina Dairy News Sit,—May I venture a suggestion that, would materially benefit our hig foreign stores here.
In this time of keen competition it is the duty of the captain of business to exploit every field, and there is one which they can exploit} to advantage.
Ir lies in the fact that Chinese ladies are becoming modernized, and cooming devotees of fashion just! as much as foreign ladies are.
'The "North-China Daily Ne was very enterprising to pubbs fashion page of Chinese ladies' styles in the Christmas supplement and if some space of the paper were devoted every day to this subject, the paper would be greatly wel emed by many Chinese daughters Herein lies the chance which our foreign stores might seize. They] could devote one or more of their' show windows to the display of some attractive examples of Chinese costumiery, which cannot be denied by the most prejudiced of foreigners to be both graceful and artistic.
By adopting this line of busines much money could be diverted to: the cash tills of our foreign stores) that now oes to the native shops, everybody knows, the Shins own toe gaentor part st the wealth in this port.
This suggestion put into practice would be a retaliative measure to the native stores that have captured much of the foreigners' custom in Shanghai Tam, ete, Shanghai, Dee. 16, 1924. the Editor of-the "Nowtn-CuiNA Daur News"
'Smm—An article "by the general' Jseeretary, the International Anti-Opium A'sociation, Peking, dated December 2, 1924, which appeared in Jyour paper of to-day's issue, cannot passed on without a comment, I donot intend to argue with the learned secretary, but would like to point out such parts of his statement as relate to the points of fact.
'In the first place, the secretary states that "as I have already pointed out more than two-thirds: jof: the opium exported from India to the monopolies. of Eastern Colonies and possessions is non-British Colonies.' statement is at variance with the figures contained in the Statistics Jof British India, Vol. LI, Financial, tenth issue, p, 162, "as quoted in "The Ethics of Opium" by Ellen N. La Motte, According to this authority, the export of opium from) India to the British—possessions (including England) is as follo 1017.
Wigis tasse 417328 100 1010-20 89838211389 100 This means that non-British countries took 48 per cent. in 1919-20, 58 per cent. in 1916-19 and 48 per Jcent. in 1917-18 of the total export Jof opium from India, The same authority shows that the biggest importer of the Indian opium in these three years was, not the Netherlands East Indies, but the Straits Settlements. If," as the general secretary informs the readers of your paper, "it is only just that the greater importers should take the greater blame is quite right that the Straits Settlements should take the greatest blame.
T do not know whether or not the Peking Anti-Opium Association has been speaking for Great Britain regards the opium question, but one feannot deny the fact. that! th single British posse jast where the opium business tinder the governmental con-trot or monopoly. Hongkong, the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay States, the Unfederated Malay States, British North Borneo, Sarawak, Brunei, Ceylon, Indi Mauritius and Iraq, all these Briish countries legalize opium.
As Miss La Motte says rightly in "The Ethics of Opium," "the part played by Great Britain is very. great. Throughout the whole fabric fof this indefensible business runs British influence, direct and indirect.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.