Fortunately for all concerned the year opened with prospecte of good crop and general optimism with regard to the stability and powers of the Government. The farmers were not unwilling' to pay the taxes which they had withheld almost since the outbreak of the revolution of As a matter of fact, provincial embarrassment were already being gradually relieve ed without external aid; and even at the close of 1913, practically all provinces had ceased clamonrins for money from Peking. In spite of the temporary unsettlement caused by White Wolf and the fears of the third revolution, the officials in most parts of China were actively engaged in bringing order out of the chaos of three years, The first and most beneficial effort in this direction was the gradual redemption of the mass of paper money that had been issued by the authorities during the early months nal fror
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.