It will be a good thing it the Jauthorities see their way clear to post 'a stronger garrison at Chingtehchen, as business there, which has been poor for some time, may dwindle away still more. Tt seems that the country parts between Chingtehchen and the city of Teh-hsing in the east, and towards the city of Loping in the south, are growing more disturb= ed of late, With the gradual velopment of motor roads we may perhaps hope that conditions will soon begin to improve.
'A factor likely, however, to play into the hands of the bandits is the loss of harvests over a very wide area, owing to the recent' severe drought. Already in parts of the Poyang district we hear that the poorer people, unable to pay the already increased price of vice, have been driven to cating roots. With means of communications so. greatly Improved of late in Kiangsu, perhaps we shall be spared the horrors of famine as manifested In former years In the north-western provinces.
The new island, which is volcanic. is named Taketomi Island, and is 900 metres in diameter, 120 metres high land covers about 85 acres in area. Tt {s said to have taken five months to reach Its present form after a violent eruption—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.