The K.M. Council last month wrote to the Japanese Consul-General who is the Senior Consul here, asking him to call a meeting to discuss measures to alleviate this famine of food and fuel. No answer has been received; yet. an answer has been returned indirectly. The Japanese press generally herald the action that the Japanese intend to take, a sort of feeler. These papers stated a few days ago that the people of Amoy had organized themselves into a body for propaganda work, specially concerning anti-British propaganda, and had formed three departments to carry on this work; namely finance, propaganda and general affairs.' A public meeting was called at the Amoy Chamber of Commerce on July 20 to consider this business and determine upon action. The meeting was a fiasco as far as the Chinese were concerned for it was to get their ce-operation that the meeting was convened.
A pamphlet asked the people to demand a re-organization of the K.M. Council and proposed nine members to be appointed by this association to consider the matter of its re-organization—that Capt. Bass, the Municipal Chief Police Officer, should be called upon to resign and a Chinese or Japanese to take his place; that the interpreter of the Council, Mr. Tsai should be detained while an investigation was being made into his affairs and property. The paper alleged that he possesses $200,000 worth of property in Kulangsu which he acquired since his employment with the Council. The whole matter is ignored by the respectable Chinese residents, but it is dangerous unwholesome propaganda, Condition in Amoy, too, are going from bad to worse. A deposit of $200 with the civic authorities allows one, for a small monthly rent of a building, to open a gambling, opium smoking, and lodging hotel The rent is paid to the authorities. The whole city is flooded with these hotels filled with women from Formosa. Cocaine is also to be had in these so-called hotels at ten cents an injection,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.