Central Fire Station emeers took immediate charge of "the—battle ayainst the flames, and soon after~ wards Capt. H, G, Reed, Chief OMee arrived on' the scene.' The engines brought into use were—three machines, a turntable and a salvage tender, as well as ambulances, The fire engines were able to return to their station shortly after 2.30 pam.
In the main structure swept by the fames, the first floor and roof were very badly damaged, and the ground Noor severely. An adjoining build ing. was slightly damaged. "Most of those killed or injured by the flames were on the first floor of the building where the fre started, The shop involved is known as the Yung Shing Tang Company. A large part" of its contents had to be deposited inthe street outside, where It'made a sizable pile of bedsteads and" other objects. A. tremendous crowd of Chinese residents and passeraby gathered to watch the fire and the activities of the scores of firemen engaged in extinguishing the flames. Special squads of policemen from Central "Police Station, Foochow Road, were sent to the scene to maintain order.
Detectives from Central police station investigated the cause of the conflagration and as far as could be ascertained at a Into hour last night appears that an apprentice was mixing paints near the door of the shop when a careless passers dropped a cigarette-stubb on a large tin containing turpentine. The flames spread rapidly In view of the fact that a number of five gallon tins Alled with: the same inflammable liquid, stood near by.
'A cheek at the hospitals made during the evening, revealed that of the seven injured that had been detained at the Lester Hospital for Chinese ind the St. Elizabeth Hospital, two Thad been released during the atter-noon, Local Rice Dealer:
Start Strike Shanghai, Jan. 16
Rice dealers and_ transportation firm managers in' the Interior have called a. sitfke to protest against the allegedly" exorbitant lax' collected by the Japanese on ree exported Shanghai, which fact is reported to be responsible for fewer rice boats coming to the city during the past' two days, The number of Ineoming rice boats was suddenly reduced" on Saturday when the merchants struck in earnest.
Chinese reports state that ton kinds of taxes are being collected by" the Japanese and "puppet" officials on goods imported to or exported from the occupied—districts In the interior, and recently a new burden was added to the shoulders of merchants in the form of the "removal tax," which—Is Tevied on merchants transporting their goods from one place another.
According to the reports, the new tax affects rice dealers most serously especially those engaged in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.