Harbin, Jan. 30.
Last year at this time there was said to have been 36,000,000 pounds of black tea at Vladivostok, with half that amount of brick tea Recently there has been quite a movement of tea, some of it going to Shanghai, where fresh tea dust from Hankow was mixed with it, after which it was shipped to Odessa vie London. There is said to be renewed interest in tea shipments to Russia, and when the accumulation in Vladivostok, Harbin and Manchuli have been absorbed, the trade that in prewar days meant so much to Chinese growers in the Yangstze valley will gradually come back, Express train service has been instituted between Vladivostok and Chita, over the Ussurisk and Amur lines, going vie Habarovsk and Blagovestchensk. It takes six days to make the trip. The trains run once a week, leaving Vladivostok on Saturday arriving at Chita on the following Friday. The train that leaves Chita on Friday, reaches Vladivostok on Thursday. First class fare is Ris 112 geld, second class Rls 73 and third class Rls 44. Good sleeping cars and a restaurant car are operated on these trains. The fares over this route are one third less all round than vid Harbin. A trip over that line two years ago showed the track to have been in better condition than was expected, and now it is claimed that it has been levelled and ballasted in the weak places, so that fairly good time can be made the entire distance.
After hanging fire for over a year, the Harbin tramway will be built, according to reports that have recently arrived. The engineering firm that has the contract will be ready with men and machinery when the ice goes out of the ground, and by freezing time in the autumn, it is expected that cars will be running. Much material was put down on the streets last year, preparatory to the construction of the line. The franchise provides for electric current for the city. A Japanese corporation now has a well-equipped lant that supplies most of the current used, and has recently put in new generators, much heavy wire and has replaced most of the poles with bigger and better ones. It is expected that there will be vigorous opposition to the giving up of the franchise owned by the Japanese, and legal action may be instituted unless an agreement is reached between the contending companies.
5 This city lays claim to being the leader in China in the number of foreigners. There are fully 100,000
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