To, the Editor of the "NortH-Cxina Datty News."
Sin,—In this time of commercial] depression, aggravated by recent troubles, and with a very prospect. of seeing better The horizon, commercial men who have been detvimentally affected in this confusion surely have a right question the actions of those w! direct policy and to submit to the fmpartfal judgment of the community, through the courtesy of the press, Temarks on the way in which cer~ tain commercial transactions have been carried out to the prejudice of Tegitimate commerce. "It is_known by everyone that the American Government, in accordance with its humanitarian traditions, has hastened to. intervene with the object fof protecting the unfortunate, mil-Tions who "have been completely, ruined by the Yangtze floods: After Much deliberation, the frst gesture has been to send' into the stricken area enormous quantities of wheat rain, under special conditions, with Facilities for payment, on the strict pulation that this. assistance ould not be distributed except to the victims and under the rigid sujon of the Ficod Relief Com-Tnittee. Then how can it be ex-Dlained that "during the last fort-ight it has been possible on. the Shanghai market to buy hundreds Of thousands of sacks of flour £rom the Blood Relief Commission destined for the stricken oxeas, but sold situation which is unfair to the a ridielous. price and creating Smporters of wheat. from Canada and Australia? The matter becomes Almost comical! After instructions Received from the parties interested Doing assured that the sacks of wheat have been exchanged against Tice! But why? The reply of the Trade Commissioner makes out that impossible to. transport flour into the stricken regions, But then, how is it that one can transport rice?
"Another question which is ached, naturally, ig; who has made this ex: change of wheat against rice? If the Flood Relief Committee is aware of the transaction and if the hun-Greds of thousands of sacks of flour have paid taxes to the disadvantage of other imports? If there are per-fons so little scrupulous as to begin the dumping of American pro-duets and if they have the intention of continuing this process without any. consideration for the importers of Canadian and Australian flour, so auch so that this combination may he able to continue, forcing them to close their offices?" This flour has bon sent to the wharves, at Pootung: and each sack is marked Rel Flood Commission, the price asked is. 2.15 and every counter-offer fccopied. "On the other hand, all Other wheat imported is sold at a much higher price,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.