The strike bacillus, or whatever it is that.leads to the demonstrations of workmen in North China, has at last affected Shansi. Since Friday, December 15, a strike has been on the Cheng-Tai Railway and all traffic has been tied up. Naturally, great inconvenience has been caused to travellers, both foreign and Chinese, and all mails from outside the province have been held up. Including the travellers delayed have been some American schoo! children returning to their homes for the holidays. The reason for the strike is the demand on, the part of the lower grades of employees on the railway that their wages be increased in proportion as the salaries of the higher grade employees have been.
The great central plain of Shansi has, during the last three or four months, been: scourged by an epidemic of diphtheria. Thousands of children have been carried away by the epidemic, which is still raging violently in several districts. I have heard of one boys' school enrolling 140 pupils where only 20 are left. The aggregate of the deaths in this epidemic must be greater than the toll of plague victims im the epidemic of 1918. The Chinese are practically helpless in the face of such a situation. In spite of progress in many other lines in Shansi,, there is still nothing like a public health service, and all ideas of sanitary measures, isolation of cases of infectious disease, quarantining, etc., are most elementary. 7
On Christmas Day a further batch of 180 Russian refugees reached Shanghai on the str. Ohingtsi Maru. A strong detachment of Chinese police were immediately sent to the jetty at Pootting to prevent their landing. formed in the Union Church, with Mr. Donald Kay officiating at the organ.
Mr. V. Eckford gave the bride away and Mr. Litchfield acted as best man.
The event was to be quite private, but it was impossible to keep it away from all friends, some of whom presented themselves at the church in time for the ceremony.
'MR. TAYLOR'S ILLNESS, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Taylor have returned from Peking where Mr. Taylor took treatment, at the P.U.M.C._ The prescription needed to bring Mr. Taylor back to health was a thorough rest cure, which it is understood will mean a furlough very soon. Since his return Chefoo Mr. Taylor has been compelled to stay within doors
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.