The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-24

Japan Mail" that the carriers have
 Increased by fifty per cent Since the
 war, whereas there has not been any
 thing like a corresponding increase of
 cargoes. and consequently cut-throat
 competition exists. The exceptionally
 good harvest of last season will prob
 ably produce an improvement in the situation. While in 1907 the movement
 of merchandise in the Yangise valley represented $162,5o0, ,0OO the figures for
 1908 were, about s1s00O 900.
 Prayers for rain are a common fea-
 ture of religious observance in China. and the attendant ceremonial some
 times take strange forms. A corres- pondent of the North China Herald' reports a curious celebration which re- gently took place in Chenyuan. The orthodox three days fast was pro- claimed and the officials went to the temples to present incense, while the people organized a procession with a plentitude of gongs and drums. As the processionists passed along the street they were drenched with water by the residents who had tubs In readH- ness. But the great peculiarity of the occasion was q dog. He was tied sitting up in a common chair with an old garment round his shoulders and an old big mans hat on his head. He got double share of the water along the route. and seemed to have entirely ex- hausted the glory and the fun of his position. The explanation of the cere- mony was this. Among domestic anil mals the dog is placed lowest. But the people in their attempt to move the pity of Heaven said in effect: We will put ourselves lower than the dog we will give him the honor of riding in state as our master if only you will give us rain" The correspondent adds that rain fell before sunset
 Chinese for Canada.
 The yiceroy of Ruangtung Is re- ported to have issued a proclamation advising all Chinese emigrants not to go to Canada. He points out that, while 1t was possible to earn and have good money in years gone by. 1t Is next to impossible to do so today. He asserts that the ingress of Japanese and Hindus has lowered the standard of wages, which the Chinese used to command. What with the Increased poll tax and new competition Chinese have little hope of earning enough to pay back the money advanced as an entrance fee, the money to and fro, and in general of making enough to them for the ignomihy of their position.
 OI 4lHte ytAfB tn6Te mas been growing tendency among Chinamen of the lower class to divorce their wives on grounds other than the seven speci- fled in the penal code. such, for in- tance as ugliness or inattentiveness. Desertion and ill-treatment by hus- bands are also said to have increased. According to a Hankow paper, the Im- perial Commissioner for the Compi- lation and Revision of Laws regards these practices as uncivillzed and un- constitutional, and intends to put stop to them by revising the existing seven grounds for divorce and pro- viding in the new code that whenever a husband wished to divorce his wife, or a wife her husband, he or she must petition the Courts having jurisdiction in the matter for a legal divorce aa Is done in all Western countries. It is hoped that this new law will result in a decrease in the number of suicides among women and diminish the fra- quency of the crime of husband mur- der.
 Piracy Is very prevalent off the coast of Chekiang, especially the southern portion extending from the Chusans to | Wenchow Bay The other week an | attack was made upon a war junk | while cruising south of Shanmun for l the purpose of protecting wood-boats 1 trading from Wenchow. For years | biackmail has been paid by these boats | to certain piraticai chiefs in order to | secure their safe passage up the coast. l The tribute was not paid this season, | and for their protection one or two old fash toned war-junks were detailed to patrol the coast. Six pirate boats made deterined attack on one of those with the result that all the crew were killed and the war-junk sunk
 Great inconvenience has been caused in Japan by the delay in extending the system. It Is stated that some people who applied for telephones in 1900 are still waiting to be supplied, and that anyone possessing telephone of which he Is willing to dispose can get s25o for 1t. A sum of $1.5oo 900