Sufficient Only to Last Setilement 20 Days: Military Partly Responsible A serious state of affairs which is causing grave anxiety in Chinese circles has arisen in connexion with statement just issued by the Shanghai Rice Guild. to the effect that the Shanghai rice stocks are almost depleted and there' is only sufficient to meet temporary needs. Tf no further shipments are forthcoming immediately, they fear that there is going to be trouble similar even more serious' than that which' broke out here a few years ago.
According to the Gui ment, there is only sufficient grain in the International Settlement and. the French Concession to last but 20 days. The amount given by the territory, is slightly better, there being some 60,000 piculs which is sufficient to meet requirements for the next two months.
This situation exists in spite of the fact that all of the district and provincial authorities have issued orders forbidding merchants either to export to even to hoard rice for higher prices. Keen measures have been taken to enforce these orders, but they have proved far from satisfactory or successful, says the Guild.
The result is that prices have nto auch an alarming extent that yesterday they were quoted at $13.20 and $15, which are far in excess of those prevailing a month, or even a fortnight, ago. In fact, they exceed Inst year's prices more than $1.75 and it is feared that they will soar even higher, and equal the record high quotations of three and five years' ago, namelys $16 and over.
The military are to a. large extent responsible for this state of Affairs. Apart from the continued fighting and the Tack of rain which has resulted in poor crops,. the military have been levying taxes the poor farmers such as had never been levied before. Land is taxed in order to raise funds for the upkeep of the soldiers, rope are taxed—what not is" taxed? Even taxes are levied for bringing the grain to Shanghai, Ando ft is thatthe farmern have in many cases decided to down tools and not grow riy more rice rather than suffer these indignities and iniquities of the tarists, who squeeze them to such fan extent. that they find life not worth living. Those who are brave Jenough to face all these elements bring their grain here, do. at their own wish and the result iv they are compelled to charge high enough to bring in sufcient cover expenses. And than the poor ple have to pay, and it is generally the poor that" have to beat the brunt. Can nothing be done? was a question asked by a Chinese rice merchant on Thursday. when seen by representative of the "North.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.