Mr. Wang Hsiao Lan, representing, the silk interest of Shanghai, lamented the fact that Chinese silk was being excluded from the New ork "Silk Exchange which had recently been opened. He feared that unless drastic measures were adopted for the improvement of sericulture, Chinese silk would disappear from the European and American markets altogether, while Japan wie fast absorbing all the bbasiness which at one time Chinese controlled. To this Mr. Kung repu that he planned: to establish Silk Testing Houses at all ports in order to improve the quality of export He told of his experiences with the Canton Silk Testing House during. its darkest days.
Sir. Wang Wen-tien, head of the Weavers' Association in Kiang-ssu and Chekiang, complained of the Bolshevik influence evident among workers in the Soochow factories and filatures. The honest workers were! merchants could not tolerate and was unjust in its exaction, because the. not allowed to work even when ther wanted to because idle rowdies, incited by Bolshevik propatatidists, had established pickets all round the factory sites to intimidate the labourers.
An informal discussion followed as tea was served in the dining room, Before the delegates dispersed, Mr. Yih Wei-chun of the Shanghai Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Proposed a vote of thanks to as well a vote of confidence in the Minister of Industry and Commerce. Amid loud applause he said the delegates would give undivided support to Dr. Kung's programme of reconstruction and declare war on any party or parties which might seek to block that programme.
The taking of a group picture concluded the visit Cumbrous Taxation: No Co-operation: Insufficient Rolling Stogk That Chinese merchants hope for improvement in their taxation and transportation problems as. the sult of the visit paid by Shanghai merchants to Nanking where th problems were presented before the Fifth Plenary Session of the Kuomintang, was brought out on Aug. in an interview with a well-known local Chinese who for the past 25 years has conducted a large trans. Portation business and is, Well a quainted with the obstacles to trade encountered when goods of various Kinds are in transit. In- speaking with a representative of the "North China Daily News," this business: man declared that it waa a difficult matter to say which presented the largest problem—the disrupted amd insuicient. methods of teansportaion in China, or the murderous effect which uncentralized taxation had had upon trade.
As regarded the former apart from the general inconvenience at tached tothe method of paying local export taxes at every station when a. product Shanghai, for exa could hardly be brunt of the burden. In the end was the consumer who paid, and the merchant suffered the. most only the event of sufficient consumers finding. it impossible to. purchase the articles which the merchant had on his hands. pointed out, transit partes issued "by" the Gus: toms were ised to palliate the inconvenience of the actus) paying of taxes in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.