Dairen, June 26.
The humble soya bean of some months ago is rapidly becoming a far more precious. article, to judge by its present price and the freight charged to carry it to Europe and elsewhere, Beans ate now seeing their peak price since the memorable depression year of 1929 while the Osaka Shoshen Kaisha, the shipping company which carries the greatest quantities of beans between Manchoukuo and Japan is lifting its freight rates from July 15 by 20 per cent, Nor is that all as the shipping rate on staples from this port to Europe has more than doubled from what was considered as normal some time ago. Two years ago the freight rates: on beans to European ports fluctuated) between'18 and 19s. per ton while at present it costs 47s. to move a ton from Dairen to Europe. Only two years ago mamy vessels left this port in ballast while many others were dawdling aroünd the waterfront begging for cargoes of staples from here at 14 or 15s, a ton to Europe.
Bean quotations on the Dairen produce market are at the moment hovering round Y. 8 per picul which is about'6 sen per pound or Y. 132 per long ton. Including the current freight rate the cost per ton, exclude ing port charges is about Y. 160 per ton in European ports. The weight employed for beans. in Manchoukuo is usually the metric ton.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.