Other staples, such as beans, salt, ork, etc, are double the price they were a month oF two ago. The rea sons for" the general increases Prices are identical with' those per {aining to the rice problem: diticulties and actual prohibition of im the inoceupied "areas sources of supply) to the occupied pass problems? guerilla. activities and, it is stated On good authority, export by the Japanese military. The teneral situation has doubtless many features in common with that obtain-me in" Shanghat "The problem concermng coal seems fngoluble. The price has been rising steadily over & period of month nnd has now reached. the" stratospheric heights of $500 per ton in the retail market, Even at that price one Icky to find supplies. Coal here is 8 monopoly, largely held "by Mitsu Bussan Kaisha, and although there is an "ofela™ rate por ton of ¥130
obtaining it at this rate as buying tice G98), one ie about ae nicceafl al at the "otlelat" rates Firewood is. uso. hard Reuter. pulsory evacuation of women and children from Honakong this week.
(Chinese quarters here believed the river might be reopened because of fan alloyed Japanese desire to export raw. silk from Canton to Thdia through Indian merchants in Hongkong-—-United Press, Hongkong Evacuation
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.