Beset by many diffcu.vies and couragements—a silted river, interrupted communications with the interior, and heavy local taxation—it may well be wondered how Tientsin came to produce a record revenue feallection of nearly Hk. Tis, 9,000,- [000 says the report. Such an dication of commercial activity in the face of all obstacles is hardly keeping with the feeling of pes~ simism displayed by so many with regard to the future. And yet 1928 was not an easy year for merchants, and can hardly be wondered at if they are feeling the strain of events.
Imports, on the whole, showed a satisfactory increase.
Piece goods, cotton and woollen, were well in demand owing to shortage of stocks. Artificial silk floss and yarn were imported in geod quantities, and the same may be said of sugar.' On the other hand, raw cotton, cotton yarn (doubtless affected by' the boycott against Japanese yarn), and aniline dyes declined. Importations of flour exceeded those of 1927 by nearly one million piculs: this was due to conditions affecting the supply of the: native article, namely, poor harvests. in the southern part of the province, frozen waterways impeding the supply of wheat to the mills in the earlier months, and interrupted communications thereafter. Rice, on the whole, was also imported in increas-Jed quantities,—Importations kerosene oil wore brisk throughout the year. The export trade showed a decline when compared with the previous year, the difficulty in bring-down supplies from the interior and the burden of increased local "The Congress of the International Chambers of Commerce wel: comes the participation of the Chinese delegation of business men in its meetings and the statement that they will organize a National Committee of this Chamber, comprehensive of the national, ' commercial, industrial and banking forces in China. It appreciates the important part Chinese business men can play in the further econo-mie development of their country and their ce-operation in inter national relations."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.