Chefoo, Sept. 25.
The American ships are still in Chefoo and the prices of food commodities are high. There are rumours that the vessels are leaytug shortly. It cannot be said that the presence of the ships in Port with so large a number of men on them has caused no inconvenience to residents. A tremendous amount of drink is being sold and is extraordinary what a number of places have opened up for the sale of liquor. Photographers and watch-makers appear to have added the selling of intoxicants to their ordinary avocations. This has not keen good for Chefoo or for the sailors on shore and there has been a big increase of drunkenness'
angst them. The Naval auth-ities place patrols in the chief section, but there are complaints that no patrols are to be seen between the Recreation Ground and ithe Rocks and Second Beach. On Saturday afternoons.when baseball games are played it seems strange to find no patrols in the vicinity where so many of the sailors are congregated. Booths erected by the Chinese for the selling of whisky and other intoxicants are adjoining-the playing field while crowds of vendors with baskets go in and out amongst the spectators. The presence of patrols would be apmediated by residents, who like to tse the Second Beach for picnics on Saturday afternoons.
must not be gathered. from osa lines that the behaviour of the men as a whole is bad. It is not, but there are scenes enacted by drunks which make the presence of the ships in Chefoo anything but desirable. The Naval Y meets 2 big need, but the promiscuous selling of liquor, which seems to rave gone on this year unchecked, has been bad for the place.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.