Japanese Goods Destroyed From Our Own Correspondent Kanchow, May 10.
The students here last year in their enthusiasm for their nation compelled the Chairman of the local Chamber of Commerce to sign an agreement permitting them to search for and confiscate all goods of Japanese origin no matter where found. This was unwillingly granted, and the agreement duly signed.
It has lain as a dead letter ever since until yesterday, the anniversary of the "National Disgrace," when the students of most schools had a big day. Hundreds of them visited stores of all kinds, searched for enemy goods hauling out piles of them, clothing, toys, eatables, and everything. These they carried off to the central drill ground, where after being saturated with kerosene they were set light to, while hundreds of students stood around with joined hands forming an immense ring. This hand-joining is the symbol of oneness and is done by command.
A company of them were sent to the riverside to look for goods, and found a boat loaded with seaweed ig}) for some of the large Kuang. tung shops. This they confiscated and carried off to the drill ground where it was burned. Thus over $100 worth of goods were reduced to ashes.
I have since heard that the goods destroyed were valued at over $1,000, and this morning all foreign' goods shops are closed.
Telegrams were despatched to student associations in other parts. Owing to the "order to search" lying dormant so long, most of the merchants must have thought it was! all over, and consequently they had heavy stocks of the hated goods. Needless to say they were very much surprised at what took place yesterday. Many of them put up their shutters as a protest at being thus treated, and I hear legal proceedings are pending, and the merchants are to meet to-day to discuss the situation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.