Oct. 9.
During the past few weeks a Particularly insidious type of Propaganda has been at work locally, and, concerning as it does one item of the food of the people, wheat, it has been doubly harmful. So far as can be ascertained it took its commencement within a day or two of publication of the news that Russia had chartered a huge fleet of steamers for the purpose of dumping wheat into England, As usual such rumours possess no even tenour of their way, and while to begin with the report was that Russia was about to do the same with China, it developed into a statement made freely on the local markets that America was the culprit, that she had already dumped a million tons of wheat upon the local market, and that the lot of the farmers was rendered precarious thereby. A number of credulous people, obviously. possessing little knowledge of what they were talking about, actually wrote a letter telling the authorities all about the case and asking for protection for the farmers. In the "North-
China Daily News" it was imme diately shown that there was not a word of truth in the whole business, and that it would take the local mills about three years to absorb such a quantity. Thereafter the rumour got gain in a different direction, and this time in a much more serious manner for it appeared in the Kuo Min News Agency—Nanking's official information service—and this time reverted to the Russian theory, and talked about drastic measures against the import of ceres!:
The surprising j—t of the whole case is that the pro-Pagandists did not take the trouble to make themselves acquainted with the conditions f the wheat trade. The posi-/ ion in Shanghai to-day is that, other years, a certain amount of grain has been imported from Canada and Australia, and possibly also from the United States, but this is higher priced than the cereal grown in China, and the principal reason for its import is its better milling qualities. It is important to bear in mind the fact that its price is higher, for that at once does away with any possibility of dumping. The next salient point is that all Russia's exports of wheat to England are from Black Sea ports,.and dumping is possible because of the comparatively short distance the grain has to be transported, The freight, however, from Black Sea ports to China would be so heavy as to render the trade impossible. Perhaps most important of all is the condition of affairs in Siberia. The peasants in the vicinity of Vladivostok are r ported to be refusing to work because of the shortage of food prevailing there, and further more cargoes of wheat are already being imported from Canada, So much for the future probabilities of dumping: as for those alleged to have taken place within the past few weeks, the Customs returns show that absolutely nothing of the sort has taken place. The Chinese farmer, about whom so much solicitude has been displayed, need fear no evil effects from any of the sources mentioned.
As to this clamour about import duties, also a ban on the import not only of foreign wheat but also on foreign rice, what it all about? The gentle art of manipulating markets by the circulation of rumours is by no means unknown in China, in fact she could probably give some other countries quite a good lesson on the matter. It is suspected that when first the rumours were spread this was the object, and had they succeeded in it, which would have meant the lowering of prices locally, the poor farmers—the very' men ostensibly being protected—would have been the losers. The rumours have now taken such a form, however, that there is a growing suspicion that the nonexistent situation may be used to aid in the production of revenue, As has been pointed out, there is a certain import of foreign wheat into China every year—it has been found necessary for the prosperity of the milling industry here—and the present agitation might provide 4 convenient excuse for heavy duties on these imports. So the cost of living would again increase, but as usual the farmer would' not benefit. In China there are no large wheat farms, but the dealers in the commodity pick up a bag here and a bag there from the peasants who grow it, and the latter are cer tainly not in a position to dictate terms which would ensure to them the benefit of artificially increased prices. 'The whole situation isa thoroughly perniciows one, and it is a matter which the' authorities in Nanking should at once investigate and deal with if they are to have the credit for being concerned with the welfare of the people under their rule,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.