There was again a further slight improvement in piece goods business this week, but everything else was as dull as ever, and, as before, what small benefits there were locally in, this branch were offset by adverse exchange. As though there were not sufficient difficulties to encounter already, there is now the news that the nervousness as to the future state of things in Shantung has resulted in the practical closing of the whole pro-} since, whilst the latest report is that fighting is imminent in Szechuan and so there is a falling off of orders from there. There are understood to be large quantities of export goods held up because it has been found impossible so far to} adjust Home prices with those of this country.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.