Opium is being reintroduced into Hofei, and it is reported that about 80 per cent, of the civilian population are now opium addicts. The deposed Nanking Government had done a fine piece of work there three years ago in curbing the use of opium and inducing addicts to take treatment to break the habit.
There is no cessation of the enormous flow of munition supplies out of Wuhu. Most of it is unloaded from ocean-going steamers onto the river bank, and then reloaded onto large "put-puts" and ferried to Lu Chiko, across and ten miles down the river, to the rail head running to Hofei. There is a continuous procession of these small transports back and forth all day and every day. It impresses one with the efficiency and enormity of the Japanese military machine.
The writer has had numerous conferences with Chinese civilians coming to Wuhu from Hofei overland through Chinese controlled territory. With proper guerilla passes no difficulties were reported, but others had plenty of trouble and even torture. One party was taken by a guerilla band, stripped of all clothing and burned with flaming straw torches to get money. Others were not tortured but made to pay taxes to pass through. Four days ago a band got out of hand in the Wuweichow district and carried off 20 young women, robbed travellers of money, clothes and bedding; and the gates of Wu-waichow had to be closed for four days. It is reported that the magistrate there was killed,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.