To the Editor of the "Nonru-Citxa Dany News"
Si—Every now and again I see a schedule of prices printed in your esteemed journal stating the maximum prices for various foods. offered for sale in the local Hongkew Market. These prices are certainly a great help to the average house wife. In these days of depression when many foreign women are out-ling out large purchases from the compradore shops and attending to their own marketing in order to buy fat reasonable prices. it would be great help if the stall-holders in the market were compelled by. the Counelt Market - Inspector price tags showing the exact pri which they were prepared. to sell at The schedule of prices as given in your newspaper is very useful as rough guide but upon visiting the market I often find that the prices asked vary considerably with those shown in your schedule. In some eases small money being asked and other cases large money.
Markets in most other cities where Europeans and Americans trade, indicate the prices of their commodi-tes by means of a small price tag, This is one way to ensure legitimate trading and will give satisfaction to both buyer and seller, I have seen cases of comparatively "green" housewives being thoroughly "soaked" by the various stall holders. This could ibo prevented if my suggestion is Drought into operation, Bearing in mind that all markets in the Settlement are wuder muntelpal control, I cannot see why this method of extortion is tolerated. would be a very simple matter for the market inspectors to supervise the correct tagging of the various commodities and if this were only enforced it would result In more people visiting the markets, buying their provisions and foods there, which would indirectly result in a further Increase in turnover for the tall holders.
Hanasse Wire, Shanghai, Avg. 18
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.