Shanghai, Aug. 16. meeting of representatives of twenty coal mining companies was held here yesterday, under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry, to discuss measures for the Inauguration lof a National Coal Mining Joint Omice Mr, Cheng I-fa, Director of the Mining Department of the Ministry of Industry, who presided, said the domestic coal industry has been suffering treatly from the effects large-scale dumping of foreign imported coal. In order to rehabilitate the industry, the Ministry of Industry had decided to organize a national joint office in ce-operation with the /merehants, with a view to. centralizing control over the production and sale of coal—Kuo Min, 'An armed robbery on a larger scale than has been seen in Shanghai for some time, and which resulted in the wounding of one gangster by' the police, occurred in the French Concession' early on August 14, when, with the assistance of an inside accomplice, ten men, four of whom were armed, entered a Chinese Indy's house off "Route de Zikawei at about 3.30 am. The 82-year-old Indy, Mrs, "Kuo Zi-tse, four other adults, and six children, ranging in. age from six to fifteen' years, were rudely awakened by the sudden entrance of the robbers, While the residents were menaced by the waving pistols, the robbers hurriedly ransacked the house, and stole the sum of $120 in bank-notes. As they left, apparently thinking they were pursued, they fired several shots down the alleyway, and these attracted the attention of some constables of the French Police stationed near the Zikawei block-house.
The police hurried to the scene, and, opening fire on the fleeing robbers, succeeded in bringing down one with three bullets in his right chest. Credit for this accurate shooting is given to Brigadier 376 and C-P.C. $55. Approximately ten shots were ox: changed between the police and the robbers, but the latter, with the exception of the wounded man, escaped. Fortunately, no police constables or passers-by were hit by the flying The wounded man was taken to the staticd, where he was identified as Neo Tso-tse, a 24-year-old sampan coolie, of no fixed abode. On him was found a large calibre automatic pistol, with four rounds in the magazine. He told the French Police that the gang had an accomplice in Mrs. Kuo's rickshaw coolie, who opened the door to them, and was to receive 20 per cent. of the booty. The coolie was arrested.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.