The sudden increase of prices of rice during the past few days without any apparent reason is causing fresh concern among the Chinese here and the matter has caused the Rice Market Control Committee to meet again to discuss methods of preventing prices from going up. As a result of the meeting, all committeeman are to prevail upon rice merchants not to increase prices and all commission men in the rice market are forbidden to control prices.
The rice crop is extremely good this year and there has been a continuous süpply arriving in Shanghai. Chinese reports indicate that one cause for the increase of prices is renewed efforts of manipulation made by unscrupulous merchants. Another reason is that many merchants hoarding goods have now turned their attention to rice, while circulating rumours to the effect that the supply is limited.
It is alleged by the "Shun Pao" that during the past few days rice merchants only registered just over 1,000 bags of rice daily with the Rice Market. The daily arrival of rice amounted to between 5,000 and 6000 bags. Most of the rice was dealt with in outside the market, where higher prices are quoted, it is alleged.
Federation
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.