There is no cause for Chinese residents of the Settlement to become apprehensive as regards their supplies of rice, it was ascertained yesterday by a representative of the "North-China Daily News" Nor need they worry about abnormally high prices, or profiteering, as the Shanghai Municipal Council has 4 taken adequate measures to ensure that prices do not suffer as a result of the present situation. The Council has now taken charge of a large quantity of rice stocks in the Settlement, and issues these supplies as required to rice dealers, thus preventing profiteering, and keeping prices at a steady level. Only one dollar's worth of rice may be purchased by each person per day, and this also prevents profiteering by the unscrupulous.
The first cargo of imported Saigon rice arrived in Shanghai on Sunday on board the s. Kaying, being purchased by private dealers. In connection with the arrival of fresh food supplies, it is interesting to note that the inward local cargo of the Indo-China s, Pingwo, from Tungchow, consisted of raw cotton, groundnuts, bristles, pigs, sheep, cabbages, chickens, eggs and crabs.
Any day outside the rice shops in the Settlement may be seen a large crowd, which is thickest in the afternoon, queueing up to buy, their dollar's worth of rice. The rice is served out through openings in the shop fronts to prevent a rush on the harassed dealers, The rice queues orderly, and so far there has been no disturbance at rice dealers' establishments. Parties of Chine: and Sikh police,' under a foreign sergeant, are stationed at each shop to ensure that no disturbances arise, Vegetables Coming A spokesman of the Shanghai Municipal Council's Supplies and Fuel Committee said yesterday that since November -15 tugboats of the Mollar Ca, have been transporting vegetables from Kaochiao twice daily, at 7 am. and 130 pin. The tugs carry about 700 market-farmer: and considerable quantities of vegetables are now available in the local markets, The fresh food situation was much easier yesterday, he went on, and is likely (o improve. Large quantities of vegetables are now on their way here from Tsingtao, and supplies are also arriving in the French Concession from Zikawei Prices yesterday were slightly reduced.
A number of pigs arrived from Kompo on Tuesday, and the general situation is much better, he continued.
Rice shops, now numbering about 200 in the Settlement, are continuing to do business in small quantities, selling Saigon rice purchased from the Council in small lots up to a dollar.
No disturbances were reported"by the Shanghai Municipal Police at rice Shops yesterday.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.