Shanghai, Feb. 15, Ten Chinese firms, all in the Settlement, which sell building materials including cement are being sued by Siemssen & Ca, a German firm, in the First Special District Court on charges of receiving stolen goods. Representatives of the accused firms denied the charge and the hearing will be resumed on February 27 pending further invesgations, This may be considered an important test case because as in many other eases the foreign firm had taken over a Chinese cement factory called the Shanghai Cement Factory in Lunghwa long ago because the Chinese management could not clear up a debt. After the, withdrawal of Chinese authorities arid troops from Cunghwa the Japanese are alleged to have taken over the factory and, following this, the German' firm advertised in' Chinese newspapers stating that any one found dealing in cement taken from Ils factory would be charged with receiving' stolen It would appear that the cement stored in the factory has gradually found its way into the Chinese firms. in the Settlement and according to the evidence produced by the German firm, bills indicating that the accused firms had been dealing in the "elephant" cement produced by the Lunghwa factory were circulated sometime ago to buyers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.