70 the Editor of the "Nonmu-Cunwa Day News Sim—To speak plainly, rumourmongering is just a species of lying for at best a specious form of make-cheve, and to a large extent it Kills self when the artful perpetrator tells the truth and is not believed the best punishment of a liar.
La financial and social circles in Central, Western and Greater Shanghai and in the environs thereof one hears exclaimed after re-tailing a so-called piece of news: "That's just another Shanghai bunder," or, "Oh! that Sounds like a Kiukiang Road "yao-yen' and "Is that fresh off the Gold-bar market, although it smells stale?" The wily ones merely say, {thinking of manipulators: "Who's trying fo get out?", or, "Who's hoping to get in?" Some rejoinders are lunprintable, but in' most cases. the' money-spinners, the get-rich-quick [speculators and the profit-snatchers, have open ears, listen to and pass on the nefarious and misleading stuff.
There is s0 much of human nature bound up in the process of handling the many facets of the commodity and exchange markets that simple [straight-forward statements dealings do not appear to be thrilling enough, for nerve-tingling news What is wanted to keep the prices oscillating, and even then not in a Fegular see-saw but jerkily swinging Fapidly this way and speedily that way, Until all sense of direction is Tost' and the agitated minds of lopersters and brokers find they are open to listen to all stray talk, maybe [a5 an anodyne, forgetting the serious outcome to themselves and others.
High oMicials at Nanking have Jaiven interviews, issued authoritative jatoments, and recently gave {instructions that arrests and punish~ ments should be effected, all with a View to stamping out or decreasing the spreading of untruths or rumours, mainly in connection with the currency. Every time there is a holiday fand banks are closed, it is found that for several days or even a week Jahead, some fairy-tale goes the rounds, upsetting the genuine merchants' ex: change arrangements and his quota-tons for both imports and exports, causing hesitancy on decisions which p) ordinarily would be made quickly: fand in many other ways doing a great deal of harm.
Names of prominent people are bandied about, including Chinese and Foreigners, and it is fully time that some example was set in bringing up for trial those guilty of slander. 'This may sound somewhat drastic to those who see humour in the situation' and are not closely affected, while others will say that rumours oon' die out 0 leave them alone. Yer, the situation in Shanghai is too serious for an attempt not to be made to improve matters in the direction Indicated, as numerous complaints have reached the ears of those in high places in Nanking and Shanghai, who would like to see some action be helping the community to tide over a trying period by seeing what could be done to eradicate something attaining the proportions of a pole serious disease.
Shanghai, Oct. 10.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.