Anking, July 31.
We had always said that our city was conservative, but last autumn, when the mew Postal Commissioner came, he gave It another epithet. "Conservative? No, backward!" And your correspondent is afraid that the Postal Commissioner is right, Some years ago we started off very gaily to widen the streets. Fortunately the old Judge's Yamen burned down and here was a place a wide street could be made without condemning property. That length of about two hundred yards remains one of the principal wide streets of the elly. Later a street was built fever one of the main drains of the city to connect the governor's Yamen with the new road leading to the north and with the Bund, Two other short streets were started, with openings through the city wall and ambitiously directed toward the centro of the city.
The bricks from the city wall were taken away and used for houses. But recently, due to the approach of dandlts the city wall has been entirely rebuilt for about three hundred. yards where the earth mound had been removed and also right across the entrances of the ambitious roads into the city, However, a wide road has been put along the Bund from the east where it-connects with the motor road to Hotel and up to the China Merchants hullo which is not far from the West Gate, Anking also has motor cars for hire and so one may witness a private citizen alighting from a motor far to step on board a river boat.
"The New Life Movement has not hit "us very" hard except in the matter of when to get up and when to go to bed. Some years ago an electric siren' was erected by the then Mayor. Tt was used as a fire alarm and also blew every night at 7 pam. to tell the city the correct time. Recently the time was ehang-(0 10 pin. and later to 9 pin. that the people would go to bed earlier and be ready for military training at 6 am. An additional inst Was also slarted at first at 6 am. and progressing earlier arlier as the days got shorter and the electricity was turned off earlier tuntit st now blows an awful screech a nominal 430 am. In addition there fs a gun fired at am, and midmght from the governor's Yamen. But a solid improvement is the erect tion of several large illuminated town clocks at strategic points throughout the city. Bells are also yung In the gates every morning at 6, #0 now no one has any excuse for remaining in bed after this hour. cellent. Crop Prospects the prompocts fr the crops in this vieinty are excellent and the farm= tis. ate all very "happy. To. show thole appreciation, procession has been organized in each of the out Tying villages to give the idols good timer Beginning in June and through hal of duly the noise of yangs and frum was continuous night and day There "wes" "as. they "are called, fulminated on, the last days of the and the beginning of the sxth moons when they all came to. the places through the city for the "entertainment" of these honoured guests.
Devout families give the privilege of erecting these pavilions on their land. Some of the purchase price had to be given to the temple.
As to cost it is estimated that each "wei" will cost a minimum of $100 and with various preparations of householders to "welcome" the "hwe!" entertain the actors, ete. the total cost will be at least $30,000, 'Opium suppression is beinkc carried on quite strictly and many are the eases secking to be broken off, One company of eight or ten"men came from a nearby city to the mission hospital. When they were cured, instead of the usual letter from' the hospital certifying to their cure, they Produced elaborate printed "diplomas" with the name of the hospital and titles of the principal doctors who had to sign and seal this wonderful proof that they had broken the obit. The only thing lacking was 1 photograph of the habitue!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.