Our section has just' passed through a serious scare—when wild rumours did more than upset the even tenor of our ways. They even threatened to send us, politically speaking, into topsy-turvey land. The cause of this unsettlement was the fact that the Governor, Gen. Ho, eft for Kiangsi and at the same time Mrs. Ho, nis wife, went to Shanghai for treatment, Dame rumour had it that Mrs. Ho was fleeing to safety and Gen, Ho to something else. The Feturn of Gen. Ho to Changsha has settled the situation, and it is now well known that Mrs. Ho is seriously ill anda Siang-ya doctor accompanied her to Shanghai for' treatment. Dame rumour, you are a foe to peace, and the fear you instigated was as bad as hostile propaganda might have becut The writer has recently visited section of the Hankow-Canton railway construction lines, and certainly earth is being turned at tremendous Speed. The Hengchow station site and freight stations, together with the sidings, have been marked out and a long section of filled in land is almost completed. The railroad freight stations on the river side have been built and materials, such as cement, sleepers. tools, etc, are brought up by junk and ' stored in these depots. There is a good deal of criticism of the contract system Under which all the earth work is done. The workmen especially feet that they are not getting m fair deal. They get their rice at Afteen cents per day and when it rains and they Cannot work, fifteen cents per day deducted from their pay for that. day, $0 that some of them have worked for a month or more and have not received a penny, and have Uitte or nothing coming" to them. They say it is true that pay on this system waits until the contract is finished. The contractor cannot pay until he is paid. However, the contractor may make money of lose, Dut the labourer usually loses.
"The tea crop seems to be food this year and there is a revival of the Black tea trade. The writer visited one place at Chaoling where Reveral hundred girls and women were picking over the tea and it was Being cured. This company had two mich places, where they expected to Send out nearly 1,800 boxes of black tea to Hankow with fifty catties in each box. The Siang-siang and Anwha tea is also of good quality and plentiful.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.