As a counter policy against the restrictions placed by the Shanghai Municipal Council on the exportation of rice in Shanghai to outports especially to northern ports, merchants from the north who have failed to buy rice in Shanghai are now reported to be ce-operating with the Japanese in sending rice right from the Japanese-occupied districts in the interior to North China. Only Yangtszepoo is made a place of call by rice boats from the interior, it is stated.
Rice dealers in Shanghai are said to be viewing the situation with anxiety and so are the Chinese people here who do not like to see rice being exported from this port fearing that there might be a shortage It is stated by rice dealers here that the number of rice boats arriving in Shanghai has been decreased in view of the direct transportation scheme worked out by rice buyers from the north.
Although the new scheme of obtaining rice by northern dealers may not affect Shanghai at present as there are 700,000 bags of rice stored in various Shanghai godowns, it will do so if matters are allowed to take their natural course. Shanghai godowns are filled with so much rice at present that dealers have stopped importing rice to this city from rice-producing districts, Chinese reports state.
Some weeks ago, it will be recalled, rice dealers here agitated for permission to export rice to outports. They asked the Customs authorities to lift the ban on interest transportation of rice but their request was turned down on the ground that their appeal should first. be accepted by Settlement authorities. To meet the merchants half way, the Shanghai Municipal Council recently allowed only 50,000 bags of rice to be exported to outports. As to the future policy no official predictions have been made.
The Chinese people have been opposing the exporting of rice to outports from Shanghai because they fear also that rice, especially that which is detined for North China, may not be for the civilian use. They do not desire to experience a rice shortage having once had the painful experience. Besides the official restrictions, police authorities are said to be guarding the city against rice smugglers. Passengers aboard outgoing steamers who carry more than one bag of rice will be discouraged.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.