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SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, LTD,
The
Eritur und PubliRivar
Hongkong Telegraph.
"VOL. V NO. 289.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1950.
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DESPONDENCY RAMP IN SEOUL
COMMENT
Taken in conjunction with the failure of the Chinese Communists to follow up the retreating Eighth Army, General
Mac- Arthur's decision to south of the withdraw
38th Parallel gives an
impression of political
as well as military mo-
Black Market Operators Play On Jittery Minds
Stream Of Refugees To The South Now Abating
+
Seoul, Dec. 13.
Highly-paid "rumour-mongers" spread despondency and tives. Nothing can be joy alternately throughout Seoul tonight, enabling black- market operators to make huge profits.
taken for granted, but
these are healthier signs
of a disposition to seek
an answer by negotiation. Beef Ration Cut
Preparation for a massive
assault on U. N. lines
have not ceased. An HARSHER
offensive is being moun-
ted by the Red divisions
which will test to the AUSTERITY
utmost the skill and en-
durance of the U. N.
The price of rice-the Far Eastern cost of living indicator-was halved and then sent back to twice its original level in a few hours today. Blackmarket petròl and currency rates wavered in sympathy.
Blackmarket dealers opened the day with rice selling at the equivalent of five American cents a pound. Householders bought little, pre-
forces in holding their IN BRITAIN ferring to wait and see if the battlefront lull of
ground. On their part, the Allies are exerting themselves to construct a formidable defence system. Even so, both activities may merely be anticipatory l'est at tempts to achieve a set- tlement in the diplomatic field end in deadlock. In his address on Tuesday Sir at Lake Success, Benegal Rau revealed that the chief Peking emissary, while holding to his version of events in Korea, was not rigidly unconciliatory. General MacArthur's with- south of the drawal Parallel creates an oppor- cease-fire tunity for a and the opening up of general discussion on the differences between Pe- king
London, Dec. 13. Britain is to face even harsher austerity at the dinner table following the Government's refusal today to pay the prices asked by Argentina for meat.
The
Minister, Mr Food Maurice Webb, told Parliament that the negotiations on meat supply prices had been broken off after months of wrangling in London and Buenos Aires.
corned
in
As a result Britain's weekly ration is to be cut next year by sixpence worth to a total value of one shilling. Twopence worth will have to be taken in canned
rest, beef- The carcase meat, is enough to buy two lamb chops or a steak.
But the bitter. pill is to be sweetened with a rise in the from eight to 10 sugar ration ounces weekly and there will be an extra ounce of cheese,
last week would last much longer.
Dealers then sent out their is, argued: paid "tale-bearers" to spread right."
the that (false) the news Chinese
Communists had and crossed the 38th Parallel were driving. on Seoul.
50 To 1 Against General War
Ottawa, Dec. 13. The Canadian Prime Minister,
Mr Louis St Laurent, said today that the world would not be plunged into a general war at this time.
He noted that Lloyds had quoted odds of 50 to one against a general war breaking out before next September and commented, "I am just as optimistic as they are."
Mr St Laurent, who was addressing pressmen, con- ferred recently with Mr Attlee after the British Prime Minister's talks with President Truman.--. Reuter.
Eisenhower Warning
"They might be
Enough of the true war situation is understood, however, and that has caused the stream
New York, Dec. 13. . of refugees to the south to abate,
General Dwight Eisenhower The price of rice was halved though only slightly,
today urged Americans to stop almost
the 25, immediately
And-apart from the purpose- | 100 quick and "uninformed markets were flooded withly induced scare periods-prices criticism" of their leaders in burriedly-sold
the order to achieve
unity which will "lessen the dangers" wealthy people.
that threaten the free world.
the hoards of
later A few hours
black- market runners went out again. This time they spread the tale that the earlier news had been the result of a gar- bled dispatch United Nations forces were, in fact, driving forward.
and that. the
are steadier last week,
than they
were
The uneasy state of mind in Seoul was illustrated in one of the city's main furniture stores,
where a disconsolate owner
stood amid piles of second-hand
Some of the pianos were pianos and sewing machines.
as $5.00 as little selling for they each--but there were no buyers: impetus-Reuter,
the that
fled
Towards late evening gave this tale added by "announcing" Chinese Communists had from Pyongyang, the Northern capital, which was once again United Nations occupied by forces.
$
This "news" drove up rice prices to 10 and 11 cents pound. Speculators cleaned up
make in a might normally year's honest dealings. REPETITIVE
and the West. Rightly, Warren Austin, supporting the 13-nation plan, made it clear that the cease-fire must come as a preliminary to what 'would almost certainly able."
A winter drop in home kill- be a slow and haggling
with the negotiation. But if the tngs had combined
failure of Argentine shipments, Peking Reds are sincere which they stopped on July 21,
Mr Webb told Parliament: "The Government have consis- tently refused since July to pay as much in one day as they
which the the higher prices Argentine authorities have asked for their meat, since they re- gard such prices as unreason-
The
re-
in their approach,. no ar-to make ration cut necessary, the United States military
gument need
has been This process
times, with peated several
in the past 10 variations," uneasy days here.
of blackmarket price
arise on he said.
to.2,000 wan Mr Webb told Parliament that script has fallen that point. The lull at
been to the dollar (half the official the Government had the front affords a per-"searching
for rate), then up again to 5,000
wan./ fect chance for easy con-meat. version into a truce. Communist China has two special desires: (1) ad- mission to the U. N. and (2) security for
the
everywhere" They were "getting all we can" from the Commonwealth.-market rate Reuter.
BUTCHERS DISMAYED
London, Dec, 13. generating plants along The National Federation
news
"We in the free world are
frightened because we. aro disunited," said General Eisen-.
who spoke extern- hower, poraneously upon receiving the 1950 citation of the Salvation. Association1 for Army
"dis- tinguished service to humanity". -United Press.
The Most Expensive Perfume
At the same time, the black- VOEU DE NOEL'.
for the "green- back" dollar (harder in times of crisis) rose to 7,000 wan to the dollar, then back again to 6,000, where it now stands.
At times when bad of makes the thought of flight the blackmarket the Yalu River. Both Meat Traders said tonight that paramount,
of petrol-usually stolen might be conceded in 're- the meat ration cuts announced rate turn for a full settle- today would mean that Britons from Army dumps and vehicles
would have the lowest meatflares up to $1.25 cents
gallon. ment. In the last resort,
ration on record.
The large degree of illiteracy the the Koreans and assuming Peking to be It would also "cause doubt as
there will be among
which extreme poverty, the in earnest, there seems to whether little to obstruct such a sufficient animal protein in-take
alds the spreaders radios, settlement but the in- to maintain the health of the prevents all but a few owning their agents public during the critical winter the rumours and
in their work.
fluence of Moscow. Exact- ly how strong that is, we do not know, but it might be decisive. In that case, M. Schuman's assertion that a Big Four confer ence is imminent cannot too rapidly be justified.
months".
a
of
PIANOS FOR $5 Jittery citizens become more
The retail trade would be placed on an impossible econo mic position which was bound to cause concern to both employ ers and employees unless im- and more sceptical each day. mediate and adequate relief was But the critical nature of the
the Federation war forthcoming,
added,--Reuter,
enables the situation rumours to take effect, hence it
CARON
Sole Agents:--
OLIVIER-CHINE,
·S.A.