The report then discusses the subject of policing the Railway, and in this connexion it says: The question of clearing the country of brigandage is highly important, but it is necessary to emphasize that the territorial officials maintain that once Japanese evacuation is carried out. this danger will disappear. They point tothe great numbers of Meiji 38th Year tifles captured and the arming of the bands with Japanese machineguns as proofs that foreign nations have assisted brigandage in order to break down Chinese control. At the station of Imianpo (verst 156 east of Harbin) 63 cases hand-grenades were actually seized by the Chinese garrison a few days prior to the _Cotnmission's visit, evidently consigned to bri-gonds, who are said to number 6,000 to 7,0000 in this district alone, Tay Scnosnt River.
Equally distressing i position on the Sungari river, which is a feeder to the Chinese Eastern Railway.
The question of safeguarding the heavy river-traffic is of high importance, owing to the growing trade between China and Russia, and to the fact that the Manchurian provinces form virtually a granary for all Eastern Siberia. At the present moment there ar (according to the Harbour Master of the Chinese Maritime Customs. at Harbin) navigating the Sungari 54 Chinese shallow-draft steamers, 14 Chinese Eastern Railway steamers, 16 Russian steamers, and six Russian steamers secretly owned by Japanese, in violation of the Sino-Russian treaties, which limit river traffic to Chinese and Russian vessels, There are also between 6,000 and 7,000 junks on the river, the arrivals at Harbin sometiuies totalling 200 junks in a. single day.
immense grain traffic is carried on by thes vessels, which has been recently seriously interfered with brigands. whose activities are facilitated by the unpro-cedented low water in the river. Vessel as they pass the shallows eked by horse-brigands, by volley-firing make the navigators lose control. and drive the vessels on to sand banks, where they are easily pillaged. Many casualties have resulted. Tha ting out of the gunboats, now in dock at Harbin, should be expedite ed in every possible way.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.