We this year made an innovation in inviting the other national Chambers of Commerce in Shanghai to send representatives to the meeting of the conference which dealt with the questions of disorder in China and China's copper currency. That invitation was accept ed by several of the national Chambers, whose representatives were present at the. meeting. Among these gentlemen was a representative from the General Chamber of Commerce, Shanghai, that is to say, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Zia had instructions from his Chamber to attend the meeting and to make statements en the subjects of debate without taking part in the discussions. His presence was of great assistance to the conference, and in replying at the conclusion of the debate. on disorder in China, he showed that he very thoroughly appreciated the feelings of foreigners as to the present state of disorder in this country, and that Chinese merchants were ready to consider foreign views and interests and to use their influence towards the termination of the present deplorable state of affairs. During the presentation of this resolution to the conference by Mr. Lester, he read a yarr's list of burnings and lootings, murders and kidnappings by bandits and soldiers, which, although of course not @ complete list, was appalling. Comparatively few particulars of these outrages are reported in the newspapers, use newspapers of course cannot keep reporters in all parts of this vast country, but merchants know what is going on from the reports of their agents end customers in the interior, and 1 believe that it was mainly' from the records of the head offices of merchant firms in Shanghai tha:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.