Shantung, Mar. 27.
Improvements and" impending changes are Altering through to the up-country cities and villages of even the remote parts of Shantung. Military drill Is being required of youths between twenty and thirty, the avow- boy. fed intention being thus to, furnish '2 reserve militia. Three hundred o: Js0 were a few weeks ago drafted to this centre, and, after drill routine for a few weeks, another group) followed. "Arms are furnished during} training. OMicers are selected by: [General Chao and his subordinates. Should the move lead to o general, country-wide desire to be armed the move may result in increased bandi try,—alreadysuMcient, but of late kept well in check. A friend met several prisoners at the south gate of this city recently, and ere he nad gone more than a few hundred tee they had been marched just around the corner, and he heard the volley. which ended their existence.
It is rumoured that notice is soon to be sent out that boys must no?! be married under seventeen, and that girls must reach twenty before ma lage, While such a law, if observ would be of much benefit to society, long-standing custom will be hard change. et the agitation is valuable, for agitation is the precursor of reform.
Prices are increasing but slightly and the agricultural community re-Joices that the market remains steady Following the good viola of last year. The wheat fields are in ood condi on, though needing moisture. Gen-feral Chao has taken an interest in Improving the cotton yield and agrees to bring, without cost, from Lintsing and elsewhere, seed which will give considerably larger yield than tne short staple cotton grown at present.
Most of the countries of this region fare energetically dealing with the users of opium." All users of opium im any form are interned in one of the numerous refuges established for the purpose, and either with or with out medication are compelled meak off the habit—alded by a real threat to be shot if they resume the habit, A number of executions have already taken place, and least two are reported to have goa refuges and died shortly after, quite likely from original ailment which led to begin" ing the habit, but the reports have that demise was due to giving up the drug!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.