Wenchow, Oct. 18, The prolongation of the coastal blockade which started at the same time as the closure of the Burma Road, has robbed this area of some of the customary news. During these three months few steamers have penetrated the blockade, and those that have succeeded were with few exceptions held by the Japanese patrol vessels on their return trip to Shanghai, sometimes being detained for several weeks, thus involving loss and trouble to the merchants, and dampening their enthusiasm for sending out cargoes. 1 When ships have been so held it has sometimes been difficult to trace them.
Tragic incidents of this blockade have keen the cruel and futile bombings of open towns, sometimes with incendiary bombs, which make havoc of the wooden dwellings of the poorer classes, In Whuzoediu, to the south of the province, because a ship had entered the port, aeroplanes flew over and destroyed large areas of this small town, rendering thousands of people homeless.
Similar though less drastic destruction has occurred in Wenchow, but whereas in the former town the bombs were dropped in the wharf area, in Wenchow there seems to have been no particular objective all. The wharves were once bombed. but other occasions brought wreckage to other unrelated parts of the city, once it was a dwelling area and once again a bridge. Unlike previous times, this year the population is un able to flee into the country because of the cost of living which is stil rising.
Recently the cost of rice has reached new records, being today a little over three catties for $1. In some towns there is definite rice shortage, Yet taken as a whole the province must have ample stocks, so that. the shortage is largely artificial, and local As an example, certain producing areas that were dependent upon for supplies by other areas, are not allowed to move their produce, Also, there is a lot of hoarding going With the slackening in trade resulting from the blockade the surplus population consisting of visitors and business people with which the town until recently had been crammed, has now departed leaving us quieter, and also more content, for the influx brought in a number of undesirables. Gradually the people are turning again to the local hand trades which supplied their livelihood before mo-times, came into port carrying only missionaries and their luggage.
There were over 30 in all, making for various destinations in China and belonging to a variety of churches and missions. This trip special some of
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