The report that the Japanese Cabinet will submit supplementary estimates to the Diet for the stim of Yen 10,000,000 to be used for the relief of Japanese subjects driven from their homes in China by the outbrealc of hostilities, is Interesting because of the manner in which the money is to be applied, One half will be given outright to enable. Japanese to return to China and set up their businesses anew, while the remainder will be advanced at low. rates of interest to those in need of funds to rehabilitate their enterprises which have been looted or destroyed. It is to be hoped that some such proposal will ind support in Whitehall. Amongst the British traders in this port, there is a fubstantla number of men, controling smelt businesses, who have either already gone to wall, or sre in danger of ultimately doing so. Many of them, it is feared, will not have the wherewithal to carry on when times are better, and their disappearance from the scene will be sad blow not only to them, but to British trade in general. It should not prove impossible to devise something similar to the Japanese Scheme, which alms at providing Japanese in similar position with cheap money in order that they might carry on. There is a direct benefit to be obtained from such procedure. Tt would mean that the whole British trading system would again be brought speedily into full operation, and would not suffer because of the nicker re-establishment of competitors. It is Haturally to be expected that in trade following the cessation of hostilities there will be an enormous amount of keen competition, and the nationals well equipped by their own countries to meet the new conditions will stand the best chances of surviving. It might not be necessary fo give Britons money because they bad been forte] to discontinue their businesses, but the provision of funds at low rates of interest to be used in rehabilitation seems to be an admirable method of maintaining Britain's posl-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.