A flat market generally has been the ease in piece goods during the week. Apparently a fair off-take has been the order since the opening.|of the market following China New Year, and so far these deliveries have' not been digested in the consuming centres. As a Sequence there has been a halt in Parchases from local holders and weakening effect on the market. Added to this it is believed that number of the bigger Chinese dealers, realizing the impossibility of replacing cargo at present prices, have not been prepared to part with their stocks, and so a general uncertainty as to the posi jon has been a feature of the case.
The drop in exchany further Intended to increase the difficulties. Although purchases from Tientsin and Szechuan have greatly dropped away, other centres show possibiliies Of a steady demand, expecially' for Spring Funcies and White Shirtings. Fast Blacks and Venetians are now in their off-season, and for the next two months are likely to be a poor market. The best feature of the situation is) that the purchases made recently, fare apparently proceeding undisturbed into the interior.
The report on the auctions is no more favourable than that affecting private business, In many eases 80 few orders were on hand that dealers who had a genuine demand, to fill were largely able to fix their own prices for the chops they wanted, So far as the auctions were concerned there was nothing at the beginning of the week to ead anybody to anticipate any depression, but apparently the non-absorption of stocks recently purchased combined with the presence of soldiery in the Soochow area and the Hupeh disturbances.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.