UNDERCURRENTS.

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18394, 30 July 1931, Page 6

UNDERCURRENTS.

HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE. (By "Gleaner.") AMERICAN UNSELFISHNESS. As we understand Mr Hoover’* argument, prosperity in the United States of America means prosperity for the rest of the world, but depression in the United States is the result of depression elsewhere. This practice of sharing her joys with other nations and taking over part of their sorrows is one .of tha most impressive cases of wholesale unselfishness on record. * * * * A MILK STORY. As has been pointed out, no question of adulterated milk came into the newspaper article and the Hamilton Milk Vendors’ Association’s, letter which were referred to at the last meeting of the Borough Counoil. However, It reminded “Gleaner” of an incident which occurred when he was a small boy in far-off Manchuria. There, as far as milk and butter were concerned, the European population lived out of tins. Milk from tha United States of America and butter from Denmark, and occasionally France. The Chinese themselves, as a people, do not eat butter. In those days there was no railway to the town where "Gleaner" lived, and in winter the river was frozen so, solidly that vessels could not pene-' trate the ice. One winter during Russian occupation of the place, prior to the war with Japan, the commissariat of the Russian troops commandeered the whole of the canned milk supply in the stores, and foreigners had to rely on a Chinese dairyman who milked a few cows. It was naturally boiled before use, which spoiled its nutritive, value, and seemed quite satisfactory for a while. Then evidence of thinness occurred. A lactometer was used and water registered. In order to counteract this the Man of the House ordered the dairyman to bring a cow to the back door and milk it there under supervision. For days the milk was all right, and then once again water was evident. Watch as one could, it was impossible for a long time to detect how it got in. At last, however, the mystery was solved. In winter the Manchurians wear wide sleeves, which they use in the form of a muff. Up one of these sleeves the milker had a bottle of water strapped, and as he milked the water was shaken into the milk paiti • * * • COINAGE MANIPULATIONS. The arrests for trafficking in silver between here and Australia call to mind a common practioe In parts of China. In that oountry the standard unit of money is the Mexican dollar, worth at par about 2s in our money, but at present quoted at about half that. Nominally there are 100 Chinese cents, silver or copper, to the dollar Mex., but in reality it costs more, and the value fluctuates dally, sometimes even hourly. Thus to-day a dollar Mex. might fetch 110 silver cents, three copper cents and two cash; while to-morrow an extra 10 cents silver or two extra coppers might ue obtainable. In the towns many people run exchanges and make a comfortable living simply by buying and selling rnoney through changing dollars. This Is neoessary, as no one exoept tourists would dream of paying for anything costing cents with a dollar piece, for In a shop or elsewhere one only receives the exact change up to the 100 cents, thus losing the difference. To get the day’s value one must cash the dollar at an exchango shop.

In different parts of the country the dollar value varies, as does that of silver and copper cents. Far up tho .Yangste, for instance, sliver cents are common and copper ones scarce. This is brought about by the difficulties of transportation through the rapids, communication being irregular and connecting vessels small, with freight rates heavy. Thus it is quite apparent that anyone wishing to carry money oould carry more silver cents, which are light, than copper ones, which are heavy. Through this silver almost became a glut in the up-river markets, and copper reached a premium, as the lowest sliver unit is the I*o cent piece, whereas one can buy quite a lot in China for a few coppers below that. At Hankow a 10 cent sliver pieoe might, for example, buy 11 oopper cents and a> cash or two; at Ichang, however, where the oopper shortage exists, it might only buy 8. Taking advantage of this, the crews of steamers, from the foreign officers down to the cabin boys, and the crews of Chinese junks, buy coppers In Hankow by the pocket or sackful and smuggle them up river to sell at Ichang for silver cent pieces of 20 or 10 cent denomination, thus making three cents, or whatever the difference might be, on a 10 cent silver piece, in Inverse ratio that piece of money fetched more coppers In Hankow, and so the merry game goes on, profit being made at both ends. The demand never seems to ba satiated, as the coins find their , way from the Upper Yangste far into the continent to the borders of Burma and Indo-China, and through Turkestan, even unto the "Roof of tha World,”, where Asaltic Russia, IndlA, and the Chinese Empire meet. * * * * ANOTHER TRIUMPH. [An American steamer is reported to have brought 15,000 bags of U.S.A. oyster-shells to Southampton'. These are to be used by British poultrykeepers for encouraging the British hen to lay eggs with good stout shells.] Alas, alas!' Where will It end, This Yankee tide that rises? We speak their slang, their film# attend, Their golfers pinch our prizes. And now the British hen as well (I note with eye grown moister) Requires’ the transatlantic shell As shed by Yankee oyster 1 I call it treason doubly dyed; 0 shame upon these caitiffs! Are there no shells to be supplied By genuine English natives? Shall Colchester he wrapped in gloom, Is Whitstable to languish, While alien shells our hens consume Without a trace, of anguish? 0 bitter news for patriot hearts, Riaek day for England’s lover! The British egg, though good In parts. Will wear a foreign cover; And when the dawn is cold and blue The British cock, poor noodle, Forgetting cock-a-doodle-do Will strike up "Yankee-doodle!” “Lucio,” In the Manchester Guardian.