'A_ very important question. was raised yesterday afternoon at a meet ing called by Fice merchants to dis-cess Mr, Vu. Ye-ching's $15,000,000 Eublic rice granary plan in' which fice merchants have promised to pro-jo 100.000 bags of the grain. They discussed at length the possible bel ferment of the situation in Shanghai in future when prices of rice might 0 down, a condition which undoubtedly' will cause them to suffer heavy losses since the public graner; rice which they ore going to buy i highly priced.
They apparently could not reach a decision on the question and it was declared that they would send presentatives, to discuss the question with offeial circles. The quest is—Who will pay for the losses suffered if the " highly-priced public Granary rice Is loft over when the Situation turns for the better? It is learned that the question concerns the rice merchants more than any tone else because, while other public bodies and factories may buy the ice at present for their employees for instance, Mr. Vu. himself will buy $0,000 bags), the merchants. will have to sell them to the public to make whatever profit they are entitled to obtain.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.