Page:A wandering student in the Far East vol.1 - Zetland.djvu/125

Rh Shanghai. Nor must it be forgotten that Ch'ung-k'ing is only on the threshold of the province. From here on, goods may have to travel several hundreds of miles farther by water, or be carried laboriously overland on the backs of animals or men. Thus, at Ch'êng-tu, the capital of the province, "the foreign resident has to pay 10 dollars 30 cents for a case of kerosene oil which in Hankow costs only 3 dollars 40 cents, and a 4-lb. tin of Hong Kong sugar, worth about 60 cents in Shanghai, cannot be had for less than 3 dollars 40 cents. In fact, the latter is sold here as a sweatmeat for some six cash a cube." Such figures speak for themselves.

The pith of the particular question with which I am now concerned resolves itself into this—can transport by the Yang-tsze be expedited, and can the cost of such transport be reduced? In other words, is steam navigation between Ichang and Ch'ung-k'ing for commercial purposes possible? Statements have been made from time to time making