Tokio, April 14.
A telegram from the Governor of Hokkaido received by the Ministry of Home Affairs states that this morning at 2 o'clock a serious fire broke out in Higashikawa Machi, Hakodate City, and was only extinguished after about 1,300 houses were burnt down, including the Public Commercial School and! the Girls' High School.—Eastern News Agency Ir is reported that the plan to double the railway track between, Shanhaikuan and Tongshan on the Peking-Mukden Line of the Chinese Government Railways is nearing maturity. It is to increase the transport power of the line, particularly with regard) to Kaiping coal. The necessary construction cost is to be advanced by the Kailan Mining Administration, to be paid back in instalments out of the railway earnings. The matter is under negotiation between the British Minister to Peking and the} Communications Offce, Peking.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.