Yet another modern river steamer has. been launched successfully. This latest addition to the Sungari mercantile flottila which is already formidable, even though many the ships are antiquated, has been built at the ship-yards of the Northeastern Steamship Syndicate Which is principally owned Manchurian offcals, the engines a boilers coming from Germany. Thi ig the sloth vessel to be launched this year, There are undoubted: y opportunities for British machinery firms in this riverine field, for navigation on the sivers in. North Manchuria and its boundaries will become more and more intensive years go on. The Japanese divers who are down the Sungari raising the sunken gunboats and barges, Which were scuttled during the Russo-Chinese conflict, have now completed their work successfully, with the exception of one gunboat which lies in some 18 feet of water and for which they have not strong enough salving tackle, consisting most of steel ropes and derricks.
Hunghutze and river pirates are both busy and numerous along the banks of the upper Sungari and the uthern section of the C.E.R. Small steamers which run between Harbin and Petuna and other points upriver are being continually Sed upon and even boarded. The bandits, however, appear to be tified if they get a free supply! of flour and other necessities such cigarettes. At a village some 100 iiles up the Sungari where a number of bands of hunghutze bad united together, there wat quite an longaygement between them and Government troops and naval forces, the latter gaining a complete victory, for over 100 bandits were killed and a lot made prisoners.
They have been becoming more and more bold, and had been capturing a number of well-to-do Chinese of both the farming and trading classes, from whom they demanded large ransoms. All were well armed, for many appeared to be. former soldiers who had deterred and looted during the Russo-Chinese conflict. This district in which they are working is particularly rich cericuutturally and. is thickly fudded with villages in the whole ley which is watered by the Upper Sungar.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.