Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-05-29

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transporting rice from their provinces,
there would be less dependence on the;
steamers. Soldiers could be moved
about as required. The governor uses
the fear of foreign annexation to urge
the people to help the project. Asnun-
Der OF towns have raised their share Of
the railway fund. the cost Of construc-
ton being estimated at $4,000 per H.
Lately, stern-wheeler, Of native
build, arrived at Chao Chow Foo
where no steamer had been seen for
more than a score OF years-and asked
TINT the pontoons In the, center OF the
bridge be opened to allow her to pass
up the river This was refused, SO the
crew filed her funnel in two so that she.
could pass under the bridge. After rum
ming for time up the river. she had to
beat retreat to Swallow. She was no
faster than the native passenger boats.
The China Gazette learns on excellent
Authority that Prince Ching. the em-'
press dowager's right hand man, Is now
a most frequent visitor to the Russian
legation in Pekin, and his attendance
there is 50 constant that 1t has at
tracted widespread attention at the
capital. He Ia generally attended by
Wan Tsushun, former Chinese minister
to St. Petersburg, who Is now governor
OF Auhui. lis felt that some impor-
tant negotiations are on foot.
Mr.. Soyeda. president OF the Bank of
Formosa, says that the5Japanese do not
show the spirit OF enterprise strongly
in the matter of going abroad in quest.
OF fortune. Formosa is only now begin
ming to attract men Of the better
classes. and they do not come provided
with capital adequate for entering into
competition with the Chinese or the
foreign residents OF the island. The
number of foreign residents is compar-
atively small, but the business done by
them is on large scale.
The state Of affairs presented by Mr..
Soyeda Is not calculated to encourage
Immigrants. He says that the rate Of
Interest charged BY the Japanese for
loans to each other is not lower than so
per cent annually, and 1t is sometimes
as high as 120 per cent. whereas the
Chinese lend to each other at rates
varying from to IL per cent. Appar-
entity usury of the most extreme kind
is the order OF the day among the
Japanese
The Bank Of Formosa gives accom-
modatlons at 3 sen daily u0.9j per
cent?, but other banks charge 5 sen.
House rent. too. is enormously high
where the Japanese are concentrated.
The usual rate is a yen per month for
the space of one mat. Hence for lit.
tie house measuring fifteen by twenty
five feet one has TO pay 30 yen monthly.
The scale of living is proportionately
extravagant among the Japanese
whereas the Chinese. who raise their
own vegetables. live much more cheap
~. Mr.. Soyeda and other Japanese
leaders in Formosa are agitating this
subject In the Japanese papers with the
object of securing a general settlement
of the island.
The rapidly growing importation Of
both raw and manufactured cotton
from. America has set japanese manu-
facturers to specializing on whether
cotton can be grown in southern China.
They have already arranged for expert
ments in this direction this season. A
number OF japanese farmers, expert
enced in cotton growing, have been
taken to the vicinity Of Annoy in
Fukien province. where the experl-
ments are to be conducted. Native
farmers will be shown now to raise
cotton on small plots of ground and
they will be given prizes IL they suc-
coed.
\ a shipbuilding plant at Nagasaki has
commenced work on the construction
of two 6.000-ton steamships ordered by
the japan Mail Steamship Company
| for its American line.
/ The cigaret making business of
Japan is practically in the hands OF
three firms, which together sell 23,Oo0,-
900 packages per year. The citizens of
Toxic are rapidly abandoning the pipe
lin favor of the cignret. Nearly half
of the tobacco now sold in Toxic is ii;
the form of cigarets.
number of arlstocratic sportsmen Of
4 Toxic recently arranged the greatest
4 hunting expedition held in Japan in re.
4 cent years. Four thousand sportsmen
4 repaired to the base OF Mount Fuji-
yana, where there was to be a round.
4 up Of all the big game over an i'm.
|mense area. Bad weather spoiled the
4 fun. there being a bag OF only three
4 deer and half a dozen hares. The
sportsmen, and particularly the pro.
jectors OF the expedition, are now the
4 7hiitf nj jppti,,,a no 1,it 7irl,ao