tion of a new lighter company was the formalities which had to be gone through in order to pass the Customs' test, that the lighters were seaworthy and that they could be properly and efficiently sealed by the: Customs so as to prevent pilferage or loss of goods on the way to and yom Tangky. All these difficulties have now been. surmounted. The pilferage question has been brought down to a fine point as to be almost negligible, insurance companies, hich at the commencement would not listen to any. proposition as to the insuring of cargo loaded on to native lighters now cheerfully accept the risk, and even undertake the insurance of the lighter itself. So far, there have been very small claims made on the insurance com-for pilferage, and the lighter ow seems to have become' regular trade giving work to many Chinese coolies besides enriching the coffers of the newly formed Lighter Companies.
Another difficulty which was found at first to be in the way of native lighters was the dearth of tugs, but even this obstacle has now been overcome, and there are plenty of tugs to bring the lighters up and down the river.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.