Shanghai, Apr. 7.
'A. serious threat to every Chinese household in Shanghai is the ever-increasing price of coal balls needed for cooking. The new record price ig $205 per.ton. Chinese circles fear that unless' speculation on this important commodity and daily neces sary is stopped, the price may reach the highest_mark of §15 per picul. Before the war the price was less than $1 per picul. "Besides worrying about their daily quota of rice, the poor are searching for fire-wood In all streets, where hawkers ate often seen selling what appear to be broken parts of coffins, chopped into mall pieces, It is generally agreed among the Chinese here that, like the rice situation, the seriousness of the coal ball situation has also reached a climax and it is alleged by the 'Chinese press that speculators are very active the coal market, while the auth orities are seeking a remedy for improving the rice situation, 'Their purchasing activities and the' alleged hoarding indulged in by esal_mer= chants are said to be chiefly responsible for the Increase of prices, In the face of strong criticisms from all Chinese quarters, the Machiuemade Coal Ball Merchants Association planning 0 hold a meeting to discuss the situation, Tt is learned, however, that ike the price of rice, the price of coal also affected seriously by freight charges and the increased cost for maintaining workers by the various coal ball manufacturing factories. The reduction of freight charges is again a very important factor in set~ ting this problem, The materia Reeded for making coal-balls is arriving continuously and the ready stock amounts to more than, 30,000 tons, enough for one month's con sumption, "About 1,000 tons are sold daily here.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.