The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-10-07
DISTANT COUNTRIES AND FOREIGN WAYS|
Notes From Haskin's
Diary of World
Travel.

The ingenuity of the Japanese is
shown in many little ways. For IN
stance. during the crusade against the
bubonic plague the officials saved .he
skin of every rat that was killed, ana
in this way enough fur was obtained
soldiers in Manchuria.
In Darjeeling, the hill station OF
Northern India, the only person who
is allowed to enjoy the luxury of
drive is the governor. No one else Is
permitted to own a conveyance. be-
cause the mountain roads are so mar
row that traffic would likely cause
accidents from the vehicles being
forced over the precipices.
The largest newspaper IN the world
is published in China. Each sheet of
this gigantic paper is as large as
barn door When the owners decided
10 modernize their publication by sub
shutting smaller pages, the subscribers
protested so stoutly that the innovation
had to be abandoned. The readers
objection to the contemplated change
was because the form was not SO con-
venient for wrapping bundles, and did
not cover so much surface when spread
out on the floor to sleep on.
The game of cricket has become so
nonular in the Island of Samoa that
IL has about demoralized the natives
The islanders have modified the regu
lation way of playing the game, as
established by the English, until there
are twenty, thirty and even hfty
PLAYERS on a side. The inhabitants OF
one whole village will often be pltted
against the residents of neighbornS
town. When one of these community
clashes occurs the sport invariably
continues until the food supplies give
out Employers of labor find that they
can put absolutely no dependence on
their help, on account of the universal
fever for the game.
One little point which escaped the
chroniclers of the great naval battle
between Japan and Russia was that
RoiesvenSlSy used a white tablecloth
as a flag of surrender. The fact that
he was not equipped with an ensign
of the right color would make it appear
that the Russian admiral did not
anticipate the probability of meeting
defeat at the end of his sensational
voyage to the East.
The traveller who circles the globe
could wear out several pencils in the
attempt to figure out the numerous
complications in exchange rates. One
man who started around the world
: had a five dollar bill changed into the
iol, I,n
visited He kept this small account
separate and used it for no purpose
other than to convert it into exchange.
When he got home his five dollar bill
had dwindled to two dollars and ten
cents. the rest having been absorbed
by the money sharks along the way.
The copper cash used in China is the
cheapest and most cumbersome money
used anywhere in the world. Travellers
penetrating the interior of the country
frequently have to provide an extra
mule to carry their money. The neces-
sity for this provision may be better
understood when it is stated that the
equivalent of an American dollar in
copper cash weighs sixteen pounds.
The cheap currency of the East
fluctuates so rapidly that a man can
never tell from one day to another
now much ne is worth. A case IN
point occurred recently in the Philip
pines. A planter living in remote
province regularly sent his savings to
a bank in Manila. His hoardings
were in Mexican silver, and he let
them accumulate for years without pay
ing attention to market fluctuations
or changes in the monetary system.
Finally he found that his entire for
tune consisting of money deposited in
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