An old resident who has just returned after an absence of seventeen months in Europe has expressed herself as astonished to find us all so perky. "Why," she exclaimed, "from news reports at home, and from Shanghai letters from friends I quite thought that Shanghai was finished and that you were all reduced to prices of some years ago and those prevailing today. Without data, and only memory to rely upon, most folk are very vague in their statements concerning costs, say some three years ago.
The manager of Dombeys has kindly sent me a copy of his firm's price list published in August, 1935, so now we can know with a little certainty bow we stand. Considering that ex-charge was then around one-and-six, prices of some commodities today are not'too bad. Butter is the greatest offender as to price, and since such quantities of this are. used in the average Shanghai household it is proving a serious item to many.
Following are prices of the most-used commodities in the two periods under comparison.
1998 Butter, Ib.
Margarine, 1b. Shortening, Ib. Salad oil, qt. Amer, cheese, 1b. Chateau cheese, pkt. Porrige oats, ib.
Sor an, pik Rice, per.' db. Corn starch, pkt. Coffee, Ib."
Cofiee, American Tea, Ib Flour, Am. per Ib
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.