There was a rush to coal shops in the Settlement on Saturday for coal balls as their price suddenly went up (from $7 to $7.20 per picul). The increase in price is attributed by the "Central China Daily News" to hoarding. It is recalled that on the pretext of having difficulties in transporting coal to Shanghai owing to the trouble in Indo-China, the price of coal went up some time ago, but coal merchants did not increase the price of coal balls, not wishing to aggravate the situation when the price of rice was going up.
The same paper reports that as from to-morrow the price of salt will be increased from $1350 per picul io $14. While mentioning no reasons for the increase, it is stated that Shanghai originally depended on east Chekiang (now blockaded) for the supply of this commodity. Since the war, the Shanghai populace has been using the "se yen", literally meaning "private salt", smuggled into the port. Its price has been going up steadily but it is said that the cost is only $1.20 per plew.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.