Considerable interest was aroused locally on Monday (May 28), when it became known that Mr, Mel Lan-fang, female impersonator, had been invited by the Soviet autiorifies to open a season in Moscow.
The invitation was conveyed through "M. Bogomoloff. Soviet Ambassador in China. AS the na-
Uonal' theatre in Moscow Is not leommercial institution, the Central [Cultural Committee of the USSR. has offered 30,000 rubles to Mr. Mel for his trip.
Due to financial reasons, Mr. Me!
not Intend to take up the trip at first, but when urged by his humorous friends to go to Moscow fon the ground that the trip may have pleasing effects on the friendly relations between the two nations. Mr, Mel is now re-considering the indicate the turn in the downward trend of costs, and it is not anti cipated that there will be very much more depreciation inthe costs of food and clothing, these figures are I well below the figures for Jan unary, the beginning of the year, The chart shows a drop In food costs in January of 78 to 42 in April, drop in clothing from 844 to 82.7,'slight increase in housing from 1102 "to 110.3 with a distinct increase in fuel and lighting from 115.8 in January to 1293 and a drop in the miscellaneous items from 1664 to 162, regultin the general index showing drop from 101.8 to 99, The tuctuations since 1926 in the general index show the cost of living, with 1826 as 100, rise 6.7 in 1927, fall from there by 4.3 points in 1926, rise from that level in 1920 by 8 points, rise in 1030 by 18.9 points to ris again in 1991 to the peak level by a further 4.1 points to 1259. Since then, dropping during the "war year" of 1932 by 68 points to 110.1, and by a further 11.9 pointy last year to 1072, there has been a slight but continued decline in. the costs Should he decide to leave for Moscow, he will arrange to make 0 tour of Europe as well It-Cmdr. Settle, U.S. Navy, famous for his stratospheric fight in America recently, was a passenger in the s. Tuckwo Hankow for on Friday. level, particularly in food and clothing.
In the same chart, according to the general index of the wholesale prices obtaining in Shanghai, the Ogures for April th drop of two Points to 94.8 to March figures of this year, and a drop of 0. from 104 Agures of April last year, 1926 being standard at 100.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.