Shanghai, May 14.
There is no trade, It's just throttled." ribing present conditions n Hankow, following eight months of Japanese naval and military occupation, were the above emarks, uttered by a foreign merchant present. paying visit to Shangha In an interview with a "North-China Daily New: reporter yesterday he outlined many. instances of Japanese dliser mination agi inst foreign business houses in the Yangtze port, the results of which, he pointed out, had been 4 complete stoppage of all trading, although the city was badly Japanese goods panese discrimination is complete, There is no forei trade "in Hankow," he asserted.
A berlain amount of foreign cargo was being shipped to the port, he explained, but al of this was being ferried! In Japanese vessels, was being handled by Japanese concerns and in Hankow itself, was completely con trolled by the Japanese. As {ar Chinese fins in the port were con fered they were able to make Fangements with the Japanese under which the Talier moved cargo for them, Describing, these methods "gemi-clandestine," the visitor added that they had proved very profitable to the Japanese, It was at this point that "he emphasized his statements with the opening remarks, 'Adding that the Japanese, who eon trolled all the shipping in' the ares had Kept the river closed to foreign stated that when he had come down {0 Shanghai he had seen very little shipping on the river but this varied from time to time, Paetically all_the shipping using the river consisted off military transports and, Wiese carried Japanese ous, Hankow. bad Yecome. overstocked with those products, "The Japanese Slory of all stores Weing "military heeesslties won't wash," he added, and in Hankow the Japanese are jot asserting it any more."
"Asked if recent Japanese ent quoting the number of troops the Yangize million was eoere don't believe. it" Actually the only military activity in the area, was to be seen at the ports such as Kiukiang, Wuhu and other places, The prin: cipal characteristic of the river, continued, was the complete absence of trade," There was no reconstrue-Mien going. on.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.