Chinkiang, Feb. 5.
The newly constituted Chinese Conservancy Board has not been long in getting to work on its task of improving conditions down at the river front. The Board has put out a public notice that, owing to the sandspit, there is difficulty in boats coming up and it is not 60 convenient for the merchants of the port. They now have to devise some method to dig out the sand and make the river as before. From the Bund railway station to the old Ewo wharf, it is proposed to dig out and deepen the existing creek. The length will be about 1,930 ft., the width 140 ft. and the depth 90 ft. Applications are being made for an engineer with experience of this kind of work to come along and take charge of this new enterprise.
The law courts, which have been closed for some years, have recently been reopened. The buildings, situated near the South Gate, have been repaired and renovated, and judging by the numbers of men who move in and out of the premises, there is quite a lot of business being done. Mr. Moh presides over the Shenpanting and deals with civil cases, whilst Mr. Tong presides over the Chien-to'ah-thing and deals with criminal cases.
The schools have now all closed for the New Year holidays and the people generally are preparing for the festival.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.