Canton (By mail With the population slowly drifting] back into the city, mostly via Macao, from where the Japanese are running a biweekly shipping service, the Fecently-inaugurated municipal _administration "has seriously begun grappling with the task of rehabilitate. ing this once great town.
Among other things it has hitherto re-established the Canton District Court, started a bus service, and established agencies and depots in. various parts of the city to sell rice fo the people at a low price. In addition, it hopes shortly to erect a wireless' station for communication, with the outside world No effort, however, has so far been made to clear the charred debris of gutted buildings. In the majority of instances, only the walls come down should a minor are standing, and these will probably
storm hit the city.
'A leading article in the "Canton Daily Sun," the only English-language newspaper here, urges _the Immediate suppression of " several "evil practices" now prevalent, including unrestricted gambling, "protection taxes" imposed by Chinese volunteers," and the open sale of eat and dog meat, 'The journal is particularly bitter against the "volunteers," who pay frequent visits to small' hawkers and shopkeepers, demanding a few cents each time as protection fee. No receipts are ever" given, with the result that the same hawkers and shopkeepers pay the levy several {mes in one day because of the many different groups of volunteers operat Possible Re-opening of Pearl River Hongkong. Feb. 4, Reports conflict with regard the otsble re-opening of the Pear!
Mr. Oda, Japanese Consul here, informed 'a foreign correspondent this morning that "there Is no reason why a limited number of British ships should not go to Canton, but 1 wish to poing out that this does not mean that the River will be re-
He added that the British and Japanese Consuls-General at Canton had reached an agreement on the question, but no information on the subject is available in Hongkong.
On the other hand, it is und stood that the British, American and fother naval authorities "in Canton have been informed by the Japanese that the passage of Third Power unboats up or down the Pearl River derailment of a goods train—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.