In these days of high living costs and more {than a suspicion of profiteering although a certain amount of economic. explanation. can shal would be a happier place hint from Peiping in dealing ices. In the northern city, it [reported that the Chinese and Japanese authori-tics have launched a campaign to check pro-[steering and oficial support is offered to shoppers who find cases of profiteering or cornering for supplies to increase prices, The Chinese newspapers now publish the telephone numbers: for he different. Chinese and Japanese departments connected with the campaign and. dis appointed shoppers may ring and obtain official lection on. their complaints. Presumably, the authorities are endowed with suflcient powers to keep prices down to reasonable limits though the report docs not explain exactly how "is done. Whether it Involves police action with' the courts inflicting. penalties on trans-Jgressers is not revealed, but it Is the step in the right direction. Tt does not necessitate actual restrictive steps by the authorities "in [Chinato obtain obedience to oficial wishes.
JOften a warning or the publication of intention {that action will be taken is all that is needed {to obtain. results. Unfortunately in. Shanghai, such an official intention is not evident and although efforts have been made to meet public Inceds, especially in the case of rice, by prom viding cheaper supplies for poorer people. the situation "has not. been materially altered in [regard to other common commodities, Through [Japanese ce-operation, larger supplies of rice fare arriving and prices are dropping but they fare still high. In other cases, such a favourable report cannot be made and' both Chinese and foreigners regard with dismay the mount~ jing cost of living which "has not ceased, to. increase in spite of the fact that ex: lchange—the principal factor quoted—has _appreciated since the wholesale increases com-Jmenced to be applied.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.