The Kuangtung-Kuangsi Fight—Gold Gamblers—Tuan and the Japanese—Peking's Endless Loans—Soldier-Bandits While peace and unity earnestly desired by the. people of this country is as elusive as ever, the fight for supremacy between the two Kuang provinces is not yet ended. Large tracts of cultivated dands in several of the northern Frovinces have been deprived of their crops by protracted drought and the people living in these aveas are in a famished condition from which they must be relieved by. outside succour, The political outlook is rather depressing, and nothing new in the way of Chinese Press criticism on this subject appears worth reproducing. From among the articles published by the Chinese Press during the bygone week, we take the following few fiom the leading papers for reproduction.
'A Mercuayt's Quatiricarions. in axohange tates on Monday, the Speaking on the sensational-drop
"New Shunpao" says:—During this 20th century when "mercial competition is so keen, merchant, to be successful, should be able to sec far ahead ad to use his brains to_ his own advantage. He should neither be influenced by surrounding conditions nor feel satisfied with in-mediate profit. For lack of these qualities, our merchants have often suffered disastrous losses. It was common knowledge or at least generally expected that after the ending of the war in Europe, changes and developments in financial and commercial markets would surely take place. In spite of this forecast, merchants, having netted some profit, mainly from the fallen rates oh gold during the past two years, have blindly plunged deeper and deeper in gambling on the exchange vote of this metal. Unfortunately for them, the silver price has continued its downward course until at present many wealthy merchants are on the brink of bankruptcy. Let them at once wake up and retrace—their steps, or they will involve others by their collapse. How dangerous!
In another article, the same paper laments the fickleness of the exchange, especially the sudden scaring of the sterling. price, which has thrown many a Chinese dealing in import goods into a quandary. It also blames the Chinese whose panic in rushing to the banks to cover their commitments was parti-any instrumental in forcing the tael down four pence on Monday. The paper advises Chinese financiers sad merchants to provide themselves with their own exchange facilities as far, as possible.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.