All transactions in northern Manchuria are made in Russian roubles the present exchange being extremely profitable for Japanese exporters, whilst on account of high freights for tonnage to Europe and the dearth of vessels foreign firms interested in exporting beans to Europe are handicapped. Besides this, the Russian authorities have put a ban on the export of beans from Vladivostok to neutral countries and has thus practically shut out of the export market certain Danish firm which for sev-al years has been one of the big-buyers of Manchurian produce shipped to Denmark.
The Japanese are also interesting themselves in the purchase of wool. The centre of this trade is at Hailar, the produce being brought into that town in large quantities by the Mongols. Export of this commodity is also prohibited by the Russian authorities so that the Obhinese Eastern Railway refuses to carry it. This, however, does not trouble the Japanese buyers much because they are content to stop at Changchun after having concluded transactions with sellers and wait until the wool reaches them by cart, transit from Hailar being made overland. This method, though taking more time, is nob more expensive. The roads once frozen are good and there is plenty of native transport available.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.