Country people who have anything whatever to sell get good priéeê añd are making purchases of what they need for the Lila New Year now fast approaching. The collection and payment of debts in much less than in past years, becatise inéreHánts have not been abe" or Willing to credit customers, and tenant farmers are not compelled by fear of law to pay renis, Land taxes temporarily suspended,. cotise imposts on merchandise and earning privileges by the powers that be.
During the confusion after the city was occupied, nearly every house W looted. Since then it has been into esting to find some item of one's movable property for sale on the street and embarrassing to have a neighbour claim something of his found on one's premises, Hf it is asked "what became of all the loot," the answer is likely to be," "about one-third burnt, one-third shipped away, the balance sold or yet for sale by second-hand dealers. eve ti if he does so, it will be more then a wet squib. Such doubts, admittedly, must be ascribed chiefly to wishful thinking, based on the fear that, if a central government is firmly. established, the present set of officials in north China, none of whom are Mr. Watig Ching-wei's men, will gradually be ousted and his own followers put in instead.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.