To maintain, and keep an army well equipped, even in times. of peace, is an expensive luxury. That they are colossal Inxuries for purely selfish purposes is undeniable, as the only time the province is safe for travellers, or for the people, is when these armies are cooped up in barracks, and the "tar," or local organizations, assume responsibility, To preserve the loyalty of both officers and men, every device is, resorted to, in order to raise money. The latest has brought about a panic in the financial world, and, seriously affects all classes. When taxes to the extreme degree had been levied, a brilliant idea struck some outlying officer, which he utilized to raise funds to tide over his financial difficulties. It was to own district.
The success of this spurred others to adopt the same military centre had. its own, mint.
Where did they get the silver? The answer to that reveals the selfishness of the military regime, and its indifference to the welfare of the people. Szechuan was well supplied with silver dollars that rang true to weight. To-day, a dollar coin on the market is a rarity, for they have been melted down by these new mint-men and minted into half-dollar pieces of inferior val In true military fashion, these coins have been forced upon the market. Thus, two grades of half-dollars are in circulation. - In appearance they. are so identical that only experts can distinguish them. The inflow of, these outside coins has greatly disturbed the money market, and cut) down the profits of the Government mint, and, incidentally, the income of the Ger Habilities. tempted to coins, there was a panic, cash shops closed their doors, exchange tumbled between 2,000 and 3,000 cash on the dollar, and food prices, which mount when cash was cheap, did not: descend when the coins depreciated. The panic was ameliorated by a counter-proclamation permitting the use of "inside" and "outside" equal values, with the understanding that the Generals would stop the legal mints. It is reported that the officers who have been profiting are unwilling to obey, with the, result that one of the Generals is resigning.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.