The China Merchants S. M. Company has for the time being taken heir ships off the northern run from Shanghai to Tientsin and put those ships on other courses where the demand for hulls is greater. This statement was made yesterday by officials of the company to a repre sentative of the orth-China Dai! jews."
This move was necessitated by the recent prohibition placed on the export of wheat flour from Shanghai. Since eighty to ninety per cent. of the cargoes of that line on the Tientsin run have consisted of flour, it ho longer. pays the company to despatch vessels northward with their holds practically empty.
Having comparatively few vessels, the company is therefore redirecting ships in other directions such as Canton, Hongkong, Swatow, and Haichow.
The other lines that run ships to Tientsin are affected less by the embargo of flour, having more ships at their disposal.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.