Notwithstanding the fact that the spindles in China have been! doubled during the last four years, nothing now, appears to be done to: increase or \improve the Chinese cotton crop, even the efforts we were making in this direction have been given up. Tt is a vital matter. China should do something to bring about a better cultivation, and there is no exaggeration in saying that, by the right selection of plants and seeds, in a few years a much greater production, and of a better quality, could be obtained from the present acreage. This is a national question, and should be taken _up seriously by the Government. With ithe world's short supplies, it is China's duty, being a cotton-growing country, to increase the crop as} much as possible. Cheaper cotton means greater trade; one of the chief reasons for the reduced demand and the losses you are making to-day in the mills, is due to dear cotton. Coal, which was Tls. 6 per ton in 1919, is now Tls. 10, and inferior in quality. This is a! large item in the working costs of a mill in the Kiangsu Province.
I found the mills in Shansi and Honan were able to purchase a much superior coal at Tls. 3 per ton. Why cannot something be done to obtain supplies from those districts? This shows clearly where railways might be advantageously constructed, and also cheapen the Shanghai mills' productions to those centres.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.