Ito the Editor of the "Norr-cimxa Daty News"
Sm—A city which has © had for market for its locally manufactured goods a hinterland of Targe extent, fand an unexcelled water-way for communication in the Yangtsze River, finds it diMeult to adjust to situation in which it rived of easy transportation—faclllties. Excellent as are the services of the two British shipping companies elreumventing the. obstruction -of the Yangtsze boom, they are unable to meet the demands made upon them for-the transport of goods. consequence local manufacturing which shows a disposition to resum" has to lag. Since. the livelihood of many people is dependent on continued "operation of factories, until fan increase in shipping facilities can be provided some local stimulation of urehasing would be very useful at the present time. Tt is natural in times of uncertainty to refrain from purchasing goods, or to confine pur~ chases to necessities, But what should be advocated should be a policy of spending on the part of those who are fortunate enough to have continuing salaries, however small, The majority of Shanghai factory products are for the use of the Chinese population, and to them the exhortation must go out that, within the limit of their capacity to buy, they should buy. If ever the ery of "no ho," national made goods, had any merit, it Is now. I. would go farther, and say that the burch should be as far as possible Shang-hal-made goods. If we are to be self-contained at least in part, a psychology of buying on the part of the populace would be inspiring, and would engender confidence in mant= facturers to re-open, Foreigners would' find, if they ooked for them, that there are many products of local manufacture which would ft their needs. I know a manufacturer of fine grade woollen goods, whose range of sweaters ete. is very. tempting. He is not now operating, for among other things an order for $10,000 worth for one local store has been cancelled, He could put to work 70 skilled workers who fare now idle if he could find his former local market. This in turn would mean a little business for the Amportor of the yarns ho uses, and {for all the interlinking services which bring raw materials to his factory.
Tf we are not fo find the ranks of the unemployed in this city ineronsed still more within the coming months, we must do our part, Let us spend what we can, and buy even more than we neod!
Shanghai, Nov. 4.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.