Japanese shopkeepers have begun reducing extortionate prices "and. Chinese profiteers who had mulcting. the public on daily necessities and coal specially, will certainly lose custom from now of. Household coal is now obtainable at $28 por ton from Japanese dealers, whereas Chinese were charging up to $42 The Bank (of China and The Bank of Communications. are still sealed. by the Japanese naval Authorities and. until these two banks are permitted: te funellon, the others (non-government) are not in a position to do} anything. The Bank of China holds about four lakhs of dollars in notes {fn their vaults and the Bank of Communications about $40,000, but these sums are inadequate even if they are permitted to resume operations. As the Japanese have seized these two banks who own their own buildings and the Central Bank (whose premises ate only leased) they will have finance these institutions them= selves if they desire them to function, normally again and unless they are] prepared to do this, it Is diffeult to [see how the normal trend of business general can be accomplished.
proclamation fas been Issued by the Rehabilitation Committes. to the effect that dollar notes of the Bank of China, Bank. of Communications fond the Hopel Provincial Bank and Yen notes of the Yokohama Specie Bank' and Bank of Chosen are to be seeepted at par, but the issue of this order is one thing and general ceptance. by the people is another. Japanese stores are accepting yen at par with dollars foreign banks are Shy of yen notes and Central Bank fof China dollar notes, which latter fare also not accepted by the Japanese. Chinese shops are discounting yen iso und some will not accept them, while the Yokohama Specie Bank is Issuing their own dollar notes in ex-exchange for yen. This chaotic condition regarding money is also recelvting. the attention of the Japanese Jauthorities and 1s a serious deterrent {o the return of confidence and nor-malay.
Tegarding the wharf. urea, the spokesman of the special mission of the Imperial Japanese Navy, Mr. Masayoshi Satoh sald:—the boom in the great harbour has been breached for 'a width of about 40 metres and ships up to 2,000 tons can enter!
the end of February, it expected that ships up to 4,000 tons will be able to do so, but when the wharves will be available for use merchant ships under normal bust-hess conditions is still uncertain, as military requirements ar the moment not permit of a definite or even approximate date being given. To jelear the harbour entirely will re-Jqulre another few months work and {tis the desire of the High Commat to permit the resumption of normal Jeommerce as soon as possible.
'The Japanese Authorities are sur veying and planning repairs to the 'Kiao-Tst Railway and a' bus service connecting Tsingtao with Tsinan is also being considered.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.