Not so long ago the average man im the Far East cast envious gian-Joes at the Federated Malay States. The abounding prosperity of the Jcountry was emphasised by the] growth of first class highroads, While the sheers optimism of the residents proclaimed them citizens Jof a land largely free from _the financial and. political troubles JoMtaining elsowhare. Harassed China hands going home on leave, their minds "brooding over the fature of extraterritoriality, the status of the Settlement, and 50 forth, found a tonic in the outlook the passengers who came aboard Singapore and Penang. No* longer, however, is this the case. There ig a deficit of over £200,000 in the FINS. budget. for 1982, and to make this good import daties are to. be imposed on cotton, linen, woollen and silk imports as' well as fon cement and tiles not to. Jomit a special tax on luxuries. Thus has the collapse of tin and rubber ised. the affluence of the F.M.S. to vanish. No doubt before it was finally decided to impose such duties the authorities waited for some posible result to come from the rubber restriction conversations, for if a substantial tax on exported rubber} were to become operative a useful source of revenue would be opened up to the government. The conversations in question seem to ha flattered only to deceive, and accordingly in yot one more country ofthe world a populace already hard hit by trade have to face spell of increased taxation whi their "reduced incomes can afford, The Newest Recruit Able Seaman Flood, probly the fafter'a short visit to Shanghai, ha gest, menter of M.A
Feturned for further "service" with ithe Yangtze Flotilla of which HOIS. Bee ts the flagship. Young Picod—his. eal_name. is unknown, a small Chinese boy found themeless and starve Hankow Jduring the terrible days of the flood Jand was adopted by a party of kindly Brit sailors who found him "crying and helpless at the fringe of one of the mad scrambles for food. "He was taken on board, rigged out with a full kit of Jminiature size, and is now the pet of the Flotilla, on his recent visit to JShanghai when the Bee put in for her. regular refitting, A. B. Flood, Jas he was christened by his foster promoted to the rank ing the orderly to carry og. The bey has now understood that one of the officers of the Flotilla, who recently sailed for England, left behind him a sufficient sum of money to have the boy educated at a Hankow mission ith the ultimate intention lof his becoming a naval inter-prefer. Ships, guns and sailors on the tortuous Yangtze are generally associated in the Chines the "foreign imperialls 80 loudly proclaimed by proagamiists nowadays, Sut there is at Toast lone Chinese "boy who found that the heart of the British sailor who has his own kiddies at warm for other people's his own, While only a brief summary. of ithe report of the Hongkong Currency Commission has been tele~ graphed to Shanghai, enough is aid. to indicate. that for all prnce cal purposes the situation remains lan changed from that of a few years when other bodies "had the matter under consideration The advisability of the Colony's currency' being fixed upon gold been debated for a considerable and. the inconveniences oF de' uctuation in the silver dollar have been a pre-disposing. influence towards ite" stabilisation in relation gold. "Commerce and. the effect such action would have upon it have proved at all times. the criterion the matter. Ax consideration riven to the aspects of the case it Became more and more evident that Hongkong's commercial. prosperity was. inevitably. bound up with that or China, and' any drastic alteration jin the principle of her currency away from that of China. would have an adverse effect on her trade, specially. her trade entrepot of goods bout Jwest.: Since that previous report Iwas issued "gold b has been advised is for China see that the present Commission lkeepa Hongkong. were situation by the sugges fereation. of a. sterling fund to facilitate a change over should "such, change ever be deemed necessary." The wording of that phrase hardy contemplates any particularly early move ili this direction, Schistosomiasis, The letter from the Acting Direc for of the Henry Lester Institute is welcome not only because it serves to correct an error into which the ignorant laity might naturally fall, but because it draws attention to this unpleasant complaint with the very dificult name. There has been sufficient material in the Jocal press on the subject of this trouble to justify the gravest warnings against, entering the waters of reeks in the hinterland on general principle. The complaint that may be derived therefrom is said to be more serios than hook worm with which it was confused, and while the immediate precaution" against it Seems to be to keep out of water of which the would-be bather knows Zothing, it fs even more important that the fullest possible information should be, given to. those. who are making investigations into the trouble. Probably the author realizing the arrival of weather which open-air bathing is not usual, will bens it in mind that more elfective warning may be made, when the return of summer draws the attention, of enthusiastic bathers cooling streams, 4
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.