Thiz analysis, however, of the' acute housing problem in the Ce.ony, fs suspect, 'The value of the Commis: sion's report og unbiassed, disinter-Jested recommendations, declined from the moment the names of triose serving on the Commission became! Known. Most of the members, cur-tously enough, happen to be,' inter alla, large property-owners "Many these gentlemen embarked on speculative enterprises that came 19 naught when the bottom dropped out of the market.
In order to" meet committments, most of them were obliged to borrow up to 60 per cent. of the value of their property. These mortgages} varied from a low 5 per cent. to.a high 10 per cent. and are of course fa first charge on the property. In order to retain the title to. property that for all practical purposes had] become bank property, borrowers skimped repairs renewals and improvements, and utilized the rent to pay off the' interest on the mortgage.
In a comparatively short period, the property became" shabby, good tenants moved to a better neighbourhood, the district declined, and the Jeconomically depressed moved in.
Axomien railway will be added on May 1 to the steel web covering Manchuria, when the Suihua-Ching-cheng line, 50 kin. long, is formally opened to traffic. The new line runs Immediately north of Harbin and joins a railway linking central Manchoukuo with the Soviet border the north,, (Delayed tu trans)
Chaotung, Yun, Mar. 4, While the Bao regions' of Kwel-chow seem commendably free from, banditry, some of the borders of 'Yunnan are, since the military went to the war front, infested by numerous small bands of' marauders, A short time ago two missionaries and' two children were bound for this. place land fifteen miles distant.
Several armed bandits held up the advance party and escorted the car-Fors and luggage up a steep moun: fa inside. In a very few minutes when the soldier escort and missionaries arrived the bandits were plainly seen climbing the mountain," The four' soldiers' took it calmly, but complained that two of their guns were Useless! Mr, Goldsworthy (an account of his murder one week later has been published in these columns), however. insisted that the bandits should be followed, he leading the way. and, perforce, the soldiers following. 'After hard climbing, they' game, "as expected, upon discarded luggage, high on the mountain top. Articles' of use and value had' been taken and the robbers had decamped.
'While leprosy is seemingly not. increasing in these parts, lepers from afield are applying for' admission in increasing numbers, and the leprosaria at Stone Gateway and Chaotung are: filled to capacity, Many have to be turned away. it is of note that. leprosy is less prevalent among the Miao than the Chinese.
A short sojourn in Kweichow enabled your correspondent to visit a. cave located five miles from Kopu. The entrance is most insignificant and. known to few. There is no path, but after climbing to and sliding through, the small opening one finds himself ina high. vaulted. chamber, falely dry and clean, with huge stalactites and stalagmites, that must have taken hundreds of years to form. These seem to be of rather pure white calcium carbonate, and the process still goes on, though almost no accumulated water is present in the series of picturesque grottoes open! out of the "entrance hall."
There are several branch passageways and galleries, some of the formations reminding one of cathedral pine-organs, graven images, Cor= inthian Columns and temple friezes. There are about 700 fect of ornate passage ways and high vaulted chambers. "one being about 60 fect in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.