CHINA a= a (Negotiations with Hongkong:
Many Local Problems in a Lawless City stun Frow A Coansstonour, Canton, Sept. 17.
Many merchants of this city, cine, meres of Tee te past few days incline one opinion that the end of the Melee ie? drawing near. The local stele nec however, seems, f0. TST to express his views openly, Meee merchants of, Hongkong bee Ming representatives to this are AaIene, Teagotiations with the Slkers THe one is to. believe the native papers, the object of this Conference' fs settle certain Gastons' relating. to customs re-Ghlations, "and. similar problem sathsre Tan business, being Mitacted" between Canton and Hanglong, evervoody Keows that Thief ie trues the end of the ttle will be the only. question to Rvilcusted when he strikers and the merchants repeeventatives meet together at the East Garden, the AeSaquaveers of the striking unions Mr. Sung, Commissioner of Com-esca told the welter but. yester-Tay: that the Hongkong. delegates seteonched "him fet, but that MRrmed them that. he could. not see.his way clear to mediate with ttners in'thete behalf Cetvour to bring about the' end ithe strike, Yesterday, representatives of the four ive commercial organizations for in this ete to dlcuss, mutual problems. Mr. Sung Tsz-ins head of the Chung Yung Bank, well as Commissioner of Commerce in the local government, is generally considered the father of this movement, which has for its object the bringing about of a bet-understanding between' the Kuangtung merchant and the government. This, at I is what Nn"Sung declares to be the pars pose of this conference, which is to. old one day "sessions every weeks" Some of our merchant friends, thou; li me that this Conference represents only the more ideal manehante;) those who kotow" to the Russians, and who wish to see the British boycott maintained, and the strike continue. However that may be, the first two questions discussed at the confer-questions which have the in the present strike and boycott sit In the first place, a plan is to be worked out for handling exchange between Shanghai and Canton direct without the necessity of going through Hongkong. Another problem that of the development of the northern Kuangtung coal mines Kuangtung contain many excellent coal deposits, but at present very little mining' fs being done, due to several causes, one being the lack of adequate transportation facilities. Since the strike and boycott, most of the coal brought to this city: comes from Japan, 'A Lawless Province Never in modern times has there been so mach lawlessness as exists in this province to-day. A. year ago, river pirates at times gave trouble, byt sooner or later most of them were caught. Now many of them establish" sort of custome gates, demanding fixed fees of all oats that pass their camps. One often knows just where he will be sure to meet these brigands, but no} troops or police are sent to arrest them or drive them away. Canton City itself was, a year back, comparatively free' from the criminal element. The writer has often remarked that he felt safer walking through the narrass, dark lanes of Canton at midnight' than he would feel were he to take a walk through streets in certain sections of his home town. San. Frangiseo, after nightfall, Now daily many' crimes are committed in Canton, a cone! siderable number being times violone Realizing that iis police force has been unable to cope with the situa: tion since the return of the stu ers from Hongkong, the criminal lass being largely drawn. from their number, Mr. Wa Tit-sing, Commissioner of Public Safety has, during the past week, been sending out squads of armed police officers, who stop on the: streets all passersby, searching. their persons for firearms. When a person is found carrying a weapon for which he has not secured a permit, be it taken into custody. It is hoped that in this way a good many suspicious characters may be rounded up.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.