Arrival of Fresh Supplies Causes Drop in Prices 'The arrival of 100 junks of new vice from the interior, as well as the first consignment of the cer from Wuhu by the Muni pality' of Greater 'Shanghai, done much to alleviate the' local 'Hee situation, with the result that, daring the pist few days, a drop of between $2 and $2.50 in. price thas been registered, whilst further drops are expected to' occur daring sithe next few days. __Jn addition to the geain wiention-&8, 6,000 bago of rice arrived from Saigon during the week-end and are now stored in godowns in Pootung.
conference' of local officials and Hee merchants was held on Satueday to devise means' of distributing this among the poor.
Ju the course of an interview with shembers of the Chinese press, Gen. Chang Chun, Mayor of Greater "Shanghai, said that he was glad that the local ice situation had eased, The first consignment of the grain ordered by the Municipality had arrived and he expected further shipments in a few days. The steps taken by the authorities to curb hoarding and smuggling the grain to foreign countries fain unscrupulous merchants who hoped to make handsome profits had thus far proved most successful, and smugglers were finding it no easy matter to export rice from Shanghai, The Shanghai -Iice Guild has submitted a proposal to the National Government ' drawing attention to the fact that the chipment rice from the producing centres to the consuming centres, where rice can only be obtained upon the pa ment of large sums of money, only temporary measure and by no means permanent. Before the Revolution, China not only produs ed sufficient rice to feed hei people had a surplus for export. Owing to-the incessant civil warfare si 191, farmers had deserted their fields and there had been famines and droughts which caused a hea all in China's vice production. "The following fundamental schemes wers suggested, for the consideration of the Government:—1. The conser-vane. of rivers and waterways. should be carried out without delay 4 as to facilitate the shipment of riee:—2, 'The most up-to-date agricultural' methods should be introduced among the farmers #0 as t> uerense China's agricultural pro-duets, especicially rice:—3. Wasce Jand reclamation schemes should be fevised and enforced so as to grease China's agricultural "pr duets: and 4, Cereals. should be afored inthe various districts, in Jarge quantities during the "fat" reasons 60 that trouble may be averted in times when supplies. are threatened by famine, drought oF war. For the time being, the proposal concludes, foreign rice shoul? be imported from Rangoon oF Gaigon because China's present. production is insufficient to meet re quirement
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.