Poking, July 27.
Considerable interest has been Javoused concerning the supposed di Jappearance of the London "Times correspondent, Mr, Basil Riley,"
It appears that he recently arrived at Chengchow, in Honan, from Hankow. On Saturday morning he went out of the house of some Bel-gins, with whom he was staying, saying that he would return at mid. aay but he lis not been heard since, Mr, Harold Porter, the British Consul-General at Hankow, was instructed to inquire of the Commissioner for Foreign Affairs in Hankow concerning Mr. Riley and has replied to the British Legation that nothing is known in Hankow concerning the latter's movements, There reason at present to wything serious has happened and it is conjectured that Mx. Riley may have decided sudden ly to go to Loyang or Hsuchowfu, on the Lunghai Railway, without informing his friends.—Reuter 'A. STRANGE case is reported in the Hongkong vernacular papers of how 'a Chinese, who lost the winning game in mah jongg, deplored hi misfortune, and grieved $0 deeply, that he died the following day—No Jone ever heard of that happening over Bridget the fact that Shanghai and othe places refuse to accept Hankow paper currency, it would be pertintent to ask, why the circular particularly specifies foreign consumers, and whether the same eieular has been dispatched to their Chinese con 8 particularly the various Government departments who ure lavish users of electricity, and in this hot weather possibly of water too.
Makes the' Currency Good The relative proportion of coal and oil consumed to the volume of water and current produced is a small one, The items which figure largely on the expense side of the Company's ledger, are the wages of employees Jand tuxes, and it is quite certain that none of these have to be pai foreign money. Of two foreigners who were employed by the Company tone, the chief, was dismissed by fonder of the Waterworks' Coolies Union, without compensation or consideration of the fact that two-thin's of his contract period of service was unexpired. Even had this entleman's services been retained up to the present time—as there was no stipulation in his contract to the jcontrary—there little doubt but that his salary would have been paid in the currency in force at this centre. The does not lie in asking foreigners to pay in a different currency, it, the Government. and here. They must make that currency good. There will be no hesitation on the part of traders of any nation. ality to exchange their goods for Hankow currency once the fact is demonstrated that there is sufficient metal under the control of the bank that issues the notes to meet the normal demands of ordinary banking usage. Till that time trade will only droop and wilt under the dimieulty which the Waterworks tx but one in facing here,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.