The report of the Shanghai Municipal Coun-vil Industrial Department published on another page is worthy of study. Not only does it present authoritatively the industrial situation in Shanghai last year, especially as far as the International Settlement is concerned, and traces business tendencies, but it reveals the great diversity of Shanghai's industrial efforts, and potentialities. Shanghai has never been regarded as an important manufacturing, or producing centre: its pre-eminence has been as a port, collecting and distributing Chinese and world products. Recent years, however, have induced a transformation which is altering this conception and the city's industrial basis is becoming wider and more diversified. With the exception of things like motor cars and aeroplanes—and who knows what these alleyway workshops can actually do—there is scarcely anything within the limitations of easy access to materials, that cannot be produced locally. One interesting and expanding branch of local activity is the manufacture of cosmetics, soaps and toothpaste. This probably represents no challenge to Paris perfumeries, whose appeal is in the higher grades, but it shows a native effort to meet the needs.of the increasing number of Chinese women using cosmetics, which are by no means an original importation into China. Where a mere handful of women of means could formerly enjoy the toilette luxuries of foreign women there are millions now who are able to purchase a jar of Shanghai-made cream, with a box of powder and a bottle of perfume to satisfy that universal feminine craving for allurement, Not all are engaged in the manufacture of jars but the report reveals that there are 100 glass factories in Shanghai. Toothpaste is another local product meeting with success and with cosmetics, and soaps is responsible for a sizeable industry employing alike small alleyway houses and newly-constructed factories. A necessary concomitant of the toothpaste industry is the manufacture of metal tubes, and the astonishing fact i. shown in the report that in addition to large qbentities of tubes imported from abroad there are five factories producing a total of 110,000 tubes a day. Reducing the toothpaste industry to such terms shows how extensive it is and how widespread is dental hygiene becoming. Showing business acumen and adaptability to market demands there should be no limit to Shanghai's productive possibilities.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.