Contrary to rumours presumably spread by rice profiteers, a ship of the China Navigation Company left here on Sunday afternoon for Haiphong, carrying many passengers and goods, It was the first Shanghai steamer to leave the port for Haiphong since the recent lifting of the Shanghai-Haiphong Shipping ban. The steamer was to have left in the morning but the loading delayed its departure. Two other local steamers are expected to leave here soon for the same place.
The recent shipping ban caused rice profiteers to increase their prices on the pretext that no more Saigon rice could reach Shanghai. Chinese reports yesterday contended that rice shipments between Shanghai and Saigon had never been disrupted. Another ship was stated to have left here on Sunday afternoon for Saigon via Amoy and Hongkong to ship rice to Shanghai. Still another left on the same day for Tientsin and will also proceed to Saigon, it was said.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.