Winter; Commodity Prices Should Be Lower Shanghai, Aug. 9.
MORE optimistic outlook for the coming winter unencumbered by threats of last year's inordinately high prices of coal, fuel and foodstuffs was envisaged by an official of the price investigation office of the Shanghai Municipal Council yesterday.
There was a marked improvement in the coal situation and prices have showed a decline in the past two months, he revealed, with the price of anthracite coal showing a decrease of five per! cent. and first quality household coal two per cent. Kitchen coal is down eleven per cent. firewood 14 per cent. and charcoal recently decreased two per cent. against former prices.
The om cial pointed out that coal was procurable in some places cheaper than the figures quoted.
Report of S.M.C. Price 'When. commodity like coal can be purchased below replacement cost, he emphasized, the indications were that Investigation Office the market' showed a downward tendency. Speculators and hoarders of Shanghai, Aug. 11. coal had not been prone in the past 'The most important' problem dealt to dispose of their goods quickly with'since the" release of the first Photo. when the market was riding the Bulletin on July 19, 1940, was that In Flooded Shanghai crest of higher prices, he explained. relating to domestic flour.
Owing to causes over which the Council had A torrential dot pour on August 8 caused Route Cardinal Mercier to look like a part of Venice The coal situation, he opined, is better today than it has been for a tong control, the normal flow of domes-as water rose up to the knees in certain parts of the street. Many other streets in Shanghai were time, lo wheat Into the Settlement became covered with water, while tramcars in Avenue Jofre were forced to suspend service for some disrupted, with the large flour mills time, Rickshaws, on the other hand, did a roaring business.
Hoarding Discouraged operating' in the Settlement had to Accumulation of coal for the wine curtail operations. As must be ex: ter was discouraged by the official pected under such' circumstances, the who characterized it as unprincipled, price, which for some considerable Relic of Last War to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.