What is generally hailed as the best action police have taken since the department was entirely reor~ ganized, is the arrest of men who have preyed upon the people of Harbin for many years, these being money lender's of the worst type, w20 with methods exceeding the rapacity Jot Shylock, have ruined hundreds, jsolzed properties and often driven {their victims to death owing to their lability to pay the frightful interest Jextorted. There is probably no other ity In the world where such en-Jormous rates of interest were paid 23 in Harbin, ten per cent. per month [not being considered as too much.
'Nobody knows the reason why the police suddenly arrested a number of these men, especially those who were known to' be exceedingly cruel in {their methods, men whose names have been before the public for many years and of whom nobody dared to The action of the police has the full approval of the entire population, everybody hoping that they will get their deserts. According to the Russian press they are to be deport= ed, but others say that the police will Investigate their business and ascer~ tain the amounts that they have received for their loans and the pro-arties which they seized. Two per feet. per month is the utmost that the lew allows, it is stated. These men may be compelled to return all above this amount to their victims, and in the event of property having been seized it may be returned to the owners. The matter now rests with the authorities, but the main point 1s that the police have taken ction. It is reported that about twenty of these money lenders were arrested and others who have been carrying on the same methods, are now shaking in their shoes, nightly expecting a visit from the police.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.