Anti-Opium Bureau received a telegram from the Provincial Gover ment ordering an increase in the tax on opium from $300 to $600 a picul from the following day. Within a few hours, there was a rush of duty-Payment, to the amount of over $1,200,000, 'The opium dealers' hurry {to borrow as much money as possible to meet their needs in this connection pushed the monthly interest rate above the level of 3 per cent, plunge however, that the provincial authorlties are going to collect an additional $200 from each dealer who pald only $800 for every picul of his goods after the receipt of the telegram, Hils example has been followed many, rumours even going so far as to say that a certain firm has sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kueichow for the purchase of opium. The Mayor of Chungking, at the quest of opium smokers of the coolie lass, who have naturally been seriously affected by the high prices, called a conference a few days ago fof various leaders, & committee has been formed for the purpose of curb ing the upward trend of the rice and opium markets in Chungking.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.