Within a very short time of the capture of Canton by the Japanese, the Pearl River has opened and the first steamer was to Teave Hongkong for Canton on January. 11 with a number of foreign passengers. The sailing of this steamer, the Kinshan, has aroused hopes in Hongkong that it will be the prelude further sailings and that the river will be re-opened to regular services between the two ports. This a step in the right direction and Hf it develops to the extent expected it means that the Japanese authorities have no intention fof obstructing commercial usage of this river and a beller opportunity exists to restore con-Jditions in South China to what they were prior to Japanese military operations in that part Hankow's Troubles mess ix already over-
Continue and there it no end in sight. Pract Sty Bolated in the henrt of "Central
aystem of cconoimic pressure exerted. on tity communications blocked both, ways and uses' structure. which ik feared. will" Tead to ultimate by the Japan city is. sulla further privations. On Sunday, the electric power was suspended owing io the inability of the Hankow Light and Power Company to obtain coal, There are supplies a few miles from the city and not ¥ery far up the Peiping-Hankow Railway are the mines at Chiaolsi, but Hankow's situation so chronic thatthe principal source of power has been cut off and the city subjected further trials in the midst of winter befeause of the failure of coal supplies in an area of plenty. It is Feported that the Japanese military authorities are keeping their promise to supply 1,000 tons a month, but here inter-veries a condition to which this journal has continually drawn attention. For some unexplained reason, supplies from local sources unavailable: but coal is not being imported owing to the fact that incoming ships are full of merchandise and military supplies. In face "ersssting-singrol-enow-kan $4 HW HU)
Cuts: $24 ren aNxuat, $0.50 PER COPY
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.