Autonomists Collect $6,000,000 in Five Months Tientsin. Aug. 7.
Approximately $6,000,000 hias "been collected by the independent Customs established by the East Hopel aufonomous regime during the past five months. Six Customs stations have been established in the demilitarized zone since the independent Customs duties, which are one-fourth to one-eighth of the Chinese national tariff, were first enforced on March 10, these stations being at Chinwanatao, Peitaiho, Changli, Liushouying, Nan-tasu and Luanhsien, Owing to the strict preventive measures adopted by the Customs authorities in Tientsin and along the Tientsin-Pukow and Peiping-Hankow Railways, large stocks of smuggled commodities are held in Tientsin, and the influx of goods by rail from Luantung stations to Tientsin has decreased in quantity. In the frst six months. of the present year, a total of 2,000,000 piculs of suzer was imported from Dairen to Tientsin through the demilitarized zone, this gute being almost double the total sugar imports to Tientsin in. 1935, 'The excessive supply has caused a slump in the price of sugar on. the local' market from $20 per sack of 135 catties to $1450 in a few weeks.
Japanese Affected The Japanese merchants dealing. in goods imported from East Hopel ure very much affected by the fall in price and difficulties in transporting, cargoes from Tienisin, and a communique addressed fo the autonomous regime by the "Special Traders Association," the member firms of which fare all Japanese and Korean concerns, demands an assurance. from the Tungchow authorities that their on which East ported elsewhere in China us ditty paid commodities—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.