A committee to study the improvement of the Grand Canal is being) formed on the initiative of the Hwai River Conservancy Commission. The
control of many conservancy organ-canal hitherto has been under the fissations, each taking care of one and it is now the aim to cothem, with a view to secur-Ing better results.
The new committee will be composed of delegates from the Hwai River, Yellow River, North China, and Taiho Region Conservancy Com: missions, and the Reconstruction Departments of Chekiang, Kiangs, 'Shantung, and Hopei provinces. Th3 inaugural meeting is fixed' for, December 21, immediately following the national conservancy conference Jeonvened by the Ministry of the Interior.—Reuter, This morning a sampan returned to Foochow without disembarking passengers or cargo at Yenping. They had seen men wearing a strange uniform on the quay, at noticed a flag with the hammer kie device in the centre.
Trade at Standstilt An alliance with the communists who. possess one of the most joffective armies in China is regard-fed by all responsible people here jas extremely serious. now no chance of an early lig idation of the revolt.
'Trade is at a complete standstill, jand merchants up country are_returning stocks to their head offices jin Foochow. Most of the banknotes. have' been shipped to. Shanghai, and silver is being hidden. Enough, however, remains in circulation to satisfy daily needs. People are living from band to mouth, and debt collection ally becomes note ait-
Two divisions of the Nineteenth Route Army have marched up from the Kwantung border by way of the Kiulang River and Shahsien ito Yenping. This is interpreted to mean that an, arrangement has been made with" Kwantung—against attack from the south. Stalemate for several months to come is_expected up the Min River. Tsai Ting-kai's troop and the communists in their ranks number about 15,000 men. Kienning some 21 miles to the north is held by Liu
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.