PROSPERING HARBIN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14703, 7 September 1918, Page 8

PROSPERING HARBIN.

TOWN- OF RICH RKFiraEBS. (By Bernard Fiilk.) HAIRBIN, Junio 25. l Harbin is the Manchuxian • Babylon. It has a population of 130,000 of all 'the races under the sun 1 . The town is vullowin^ m prospex*itv, ' refugees from Russia having brought ail their weailth with thorn and invested it m various '<?htavpirises. lv .additioi},, .the town is "the cieritrc; 6f. Hie Soya beam industry, which is ass^hiing . vast proportious. (lnuuincrable tbii>gs can bp made froTn tho soya, bean, pnitci^ally foodis. / ]/ There is naiii^h i-liqjt opjiun, smug*-'' In 'many Cases/ people are existf."■g hy a policy of t beggar-my--neighbor. As a rouble cha,niges iv value 'three times •;*■ day, -it is possible for ingenious financiers to coin money. It is often a-ques-tion of who* gets to the - flba-iik -urst. People who are not occupied m business apparently Jjj^-o by card -playing for high stakes. ■ ; It is a picturesque sjjectaclo m the afternoon to"' see Russian dffic<M« attired in [_ tlje most, niagiiificent gold-braided uniforms, diving with ' sniartly-dfessied lady firiendls, inilthe new towh,>wliere the constates ar© : situated . Tihes'a , officei^ '»]•_. brave men who have fought md, ■M ,e4icqm*aged, will agfain fight bravely^ Y*\ppearances m tho^case a;i-e deceptive.' ' -At fixst' oh© is inctined to vi^w with naxed feelings the presence of so many [military men of splendid physique apparently "unemployed,- but I was told tliat many had just returned from fightihg'for Semenoff, the -Cossack leader- -in Kasterii: Siberia, and soon' would hi* going out' again. A great contrast <<is< ; affoi-ded by the simply-dressed Chinese i soldiery attired m v khaki; brown ' 6v slate, accordiiiig to the state of the com-: misSariat;. ■ - j ' Jfeie w many fin-e buildings and e'vei*y sigjx of tho ambitious ni^chitectural pre-\yai* pl-tns pi"djectod by the Russians, who' in their traditional way left them ifnlmished. . .:'..' .<. ■-. -A.' - .-''-ii ; FOOD. PLIiiNTIFUL AND GOOD. ' Food;' is plentiful --ami Ithe cooking i^ oxdeHleivt, but ; iihie hote's leave much to be desired -in. 'theiintatter of sanitation. Wheii I. questioned an hotel proprietor, as to -why .there- {Ute not any more] amienities he regarded me as an- ecc«ii'fcric,,'jsayih'g, "Harbin- isnotr London >'"i Tix-'the evening anusical performances; m the parks a.nrus*c £he population, which; ih remarkably li§hfc-Wea-rted aitd; -pleas ur-d-Ai •loving. Morality is. not a strong feature of Wie toAvn. Scotch .' whisky is obtainable eveiy- \ Syhevey Probably there ia-e bigger stocks at' Harbin than m maiiiy Eaiglish towns. The usual is tlii*eo to foiir i*oubles a nip (a'Touble is 'normally aboaitj'2s), but ;th)e price is going' up I •cwing to' Russians having developed dtastefor it,:,- f . ; ; lliei'e is great excitement Svhen the' Russian: fti'ei "engine-,-" piarined. by Clii-' nes^, and , hayuj^ •absurdly smaill water-, ;banials ? . daslies^through ' the ;tbw'in.' v r / ••' Xife begins Ytit . midday and ends at 4- am. ■ ."' ' ".'•"" '■' * • ■'•' ";i There is an enormous , number of* -izvoalichiks ' (cabdri vers) ,- Russians : and: pl'inese, competing" m extortionate clrai^es. '• • :- -'■■■•-.'■■ '• * Lrfdies disport the^iis'e'lves m white toil'eH>ties.an'dYbii*cl''of "paradise, hats, iob,*ir oiisly imugiliing. themselves' to 'bo onytho 'Xevsky ■ Pi*Qsj.>ekt : ih * Petrpgrad. Th? ! dusty -state of*, thb 1 roads is tbrribJej •;:- -- .'ln piibHc'the 'war- is : not iwidelv discussed.' -The chief topic is i\vhetl*ter .tlie: :*-i'du.bflo will go up; or down. 4 ' iThe 1 popu-; Nation is for 'the moment interested iti! ■the lar^e number of Amelioak •kliakii; •clad raiWaymen, some of whom i ; are* working on the Chinese Eastern iljUihvay, where they^'aro.>-]>eeding up i the system.v • ';. *___££___!_____-__; ■'*.-■