Prices}"if anything, are cheaper in the hotels this year than in more Plasperous yeats; and this in spite of the fact that, as in Shanghai, cost of living has increased enormously owing to the war.' The rates of the A. curious situation exists with regard to the currency now in use at Tsingtao, Whereas in Shanghai the yen costs more than the Chinese dollar, in Tsingtao it is of equal value'to both the Central. Government dollar and the new,: money Issued by, the Federal Reserve. Bank. In this way one can spend.without any difieulty three different' cur-reueles. And everywhere one goes, be it to shop, cinema or cabaret, these. three entirely different cur reueles are regarded as having an undisputed equal value, The banks, however, do not regard these currencies as being of equal value, "But of this more later. It often' happens that when making a purchase with a Central Government bank note one receives the change in both yen and notes of the Japanese sponsored Federal Reserve Bank. Here must be sounded.a note of warning, The enterprising Shanghai-Jander who. expects to make money buying or selling exchange will meet with disappointment; for there "1s only one currency which foreign banks will accept against foreign exchange, and that is the Central Government dollar.
No, the currency situation should present no difieulty to the tourist from Shanghai. Ail the latter has to concern himself with Is to see he does not bring any of the new Federal notes back with him to Shanghai, as he would. certainly be unable to exchange them here at anything approaching their Tsingtao value.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.