Brorrnina early last week came persistent rumours that "trouble" would "'break out'? on Christmas day, and at the tiffin hour on December 9 it was "reliably reported" that "trouble" had actually started that very morning.
That was last week. This week there are more rumours, much the same sort as thave of last week, with the exception that the "trouble" (vague word, that) is to start today,—today, New Year Day, of all days! The starting and circulating of. baseless rumours should be made a crime. Such reports certainly do not improve business, and, taking all things into consideration in these present trying times, business is as good as could be expected,—in spite of the rumours. The merchant class are commercial above all things, and so Jong as trade comes to them they sre satisfied to ye "trouble" alone.
There es no predicting events in China, in this topsy-tury land where the expected never happens, and it would seem that the rumourmongers have "another guess coming," as they say in America. Were they to make a tour of the offices of the leach import firma, especially American firma or con- i cerns with American connexions, they would find one and all with more work than they oan easily handle. Extra assistants have been employed, additional desks have been installed, and Ja: e hours are the rule, Export firms likewise have no complaint to make except the ever-present difficulty of finding cargo space.
Tr is not reasonable to suppose that the merchant class—the class that holds China's purse-strings—may be expected to support or lend aid to any disturbing movement of the sort commonly called "trouble," when they are aware that such a movement would immediately end their trading. They did support the revolution of 1911, but that was for quite a different cause, and there is no visible reason why anyone should presuppose that an anti-monarchistic movement here can today get serious support from thi ree. While there hae been a slight wave of uneasiness in some quarters during the week, no tangible evidence can at the time of writing be found to indicate that the movement in Yunnan will gain any serious headway here.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.