London, Dec. 10.
The Export Guarantees Bill, introduced in the House of Commons yesterday by Mr. Oliver Stanley, President of the Board of Trade, in order to "extend the powers of the Board of Trade and to give guarantees for the purpose of establishing or encouraging overseas trade," is welcomed by Chinese and Far Eastern circles.
The measure is viewed as opening the door for the assistance of various schemes of development in west and south-west China of promising future value, which the Export Credits Guarantee Department has hitherto been unable to~finance owing to the strictness of its limitations in respect of what may be regarded as a "commercial proposition."
This has so far prevented the granting of credits for railway material, which the Chinese are anxious to obtain for their projected 1,000-mile railway system for western China.
It is believed that these credits are now likely to be arranged without difficulty, Burma Motor Road As regards motor lorries for the building of the new road to Burma, Reuter understands that nothing yet has been decided but that proposals have been made by the Chinese which the new Bill should enable to be granted.
It is noteworthy that the Bill retains the prohibition of guarantees "in connection with weapons of war or other goods constructed or intended p for destructive use in war" Some previous anomalies in this respec however, are removed One important clause in the new Bill permits credits for the export of British goods through sales made b; firms not incorporated in Great Britain, Lack of this facility formerly caused ficulty in guaranteeing business conducted, for example, by firms operating in China and incorporated under the Hongkong Ordinances. Reuter.
A cruel method used by a sparrow catcher in the Western District, who tied live sparrows to the ground to act as decoys, was investigated by an Shanghai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty ' to Animals, states the report of the Society for November. "The Inspector found," the report adds, "grain spread and a large net to throw over the feeding birds." Sparrows were being hawked in cages for food, this section of the report concluded.
Also dealt with by the P\ice and the Society was an anjüsement centre in the Western district which opened an archery side-show in which live sparrows were to be shot. After the police interference the side-show was altered.
The report stresses the fact that the collection of stray dogs from the road or from private premises is not in the Society's province, unless the animal is injured or in such distress that immediate attention is necessary.
The public are warned, adds the report, to leave stray dogs alone, as if owned they may find their way home, and if homeless will be collected by the police. The Society has no premises in which to house stray animals and, as a private organization, would not have the right to detain them.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.