| Show COST OF LIVING IN modern improvements have imposed burden on natives during a recent tour in asia of near ly sixteen months from february to june 1902 in which I 1 visited japan korea china the philippines cochin china blam and laos the straits settlements burmah india syria and palestine I 1 found everywhere a deep interest in the changing economic conditions the common people in asia care little for politics but the price of food and raiment touches every man woman and child at a sensitive point almost everywhere the old days of cheap living are passing away steamers railways telegraphs newspapers labor saving machinery and the introduction of western ideas are slowly but surely revolutionizing the orient shantung wheat which formerly had no market beyond a radius of a few dozen miles from the wheat field can now be shipped by railway and steamship to any part of the world and in consequence every chinese buyer ha to pay more for it in like manner new facilities tor export have doubled trebled and in some places quadrupled the price of rice in china slam and japan century magayne |
