If the British Government does decide to establish a Ministry of Information the only comment which will be made will probably be something like "And about time, too," for it has been apparent for a very long time past that the British case has not been adequately presented to the world, and that other nations which have equipped themselves with such a ministry have been having things their own way for much too long. The necessity for embarking on counter-propaganda has been realized ever since the British Government decided that it. too, should broadcast in other languages besides its own for the purpose of offsetting a great deal of anti-British stuff which was regularly, being emitted. What is surprising is that the German Press should be so indignant over the scheme. At the very mest Britain merely proposes to play the German game, with the probability that it will do very much better what the Germans have been attempting to do. The "Lokalanzeiger" is typical in its comments:—"So to encirclement must be added now direct intervention in German internal affairs, to blackmail from without and Poisoning from within, amd all this under the catchword peace'." It is a notorious fact that Germany has had her Ministry of Propaganda, which has not refrained from broadcasting in English for the benefit of those British listeners-in who may choose to listen to what German broadcasters have to say. For Germany to do so appears to be perfectly right and proper, but directly Britain proposes to take a leaf out of the German book, roars of indignation follow. It must be that the British animal is a dangerous sort of creature in the eyes of some nations, for when: attacked it seeks to defend itself, a most heinous piece of misbehaviour, and those who agree with the German point of view will undoubtedly subscribe to that opinion. The general criticism of British policy with regard to publicity is that it has had too much of the qualities of the blushing violet about it, and that opportunities of keeping the British case before the world have not been availed of as they should have been. It would be a right and proper thing for the Government to seek powers from Parliament to set up such a Ministry, and, if in the minds of others it amounts but to another proof of the perfidy of Albion, it should not for that reason seek to change its mind Shanghai Currency Shanghai's extraordinary improvisations th. meet the scarcity of small coins constitute an unusual chapter in the history of currency, and demonstrate the self-reliant nature of its merchants and shopkeepers in adaptation to these recurrent local difficulties, Deprived of adequate smaller currency by which the daily lives and affairs of millions of people are ruled, Shanghai faces a minor crisis which can be overcome only by a ce-operative effort, "Chits" ior cents at food shops, personally endorsed scrip and even postage stamps neatly enclosed in cellophane are some of the means adopted to ensure an acceptable and convertible medium of exchange. As the primitive system of barter has now invaded world economics on a large scale perhaps it would not be surprising to find some system of barter in Shanghai un less business is forced back to the use of cowrie shell. The precise reason for this sudden shortage of small currency is not easy to ascertain but the Chinese banks have been informed that Chungking is sending further supplies of small money to fill the gap. Perhaps somewhere around the hundreds of small money exchange shops may be found a contributing factor because it is amazing how these shops are able to create themselves so powerful an influence—at a handsome profit—in the lives of Shanghai's millions, and even now are benefitting by selling postage stamps making profit on a transaction which governments in other countries would frown upon. In recent years, Shanghai has experimented with several systems of local token currencies for transport and other purposes. A solution of the difficulty might be found in the revival of some such system as long as political conditions prevent the free and unrestricted circulation of smaller currency.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.