CHINESE MONEY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26638, 8 December 1947, Page 9

CHINESE MONEY

SAMPLE OF INFLATION AIR MAIL LETTER’S HIGH COST P.A. PALMERSTON N.. Dec. 6. An air mail letter from Chinese Central Asia, crowded front and back with 25 stamps, each of 1000 dollars Chinese currency, has reached Palmerston North. It would appear that in China’s inflated currency 25.000 dollars are required to reach parity with the few shillings usually charged for air mail service. The letter comes from Shantan Bailie School, Kansu, founded by Rewi Alley. The single flimsy typewritten sheet mentions the problems associated with feeding the sheep sent recently from New Zealand under UNRRA auspices, the growth of agricultural teaching in the school, the desire for a greater exchange of farming information with New Zealand, and for the reception of any small packets of seeds, both tree and grasses. “As you can well imagine, the biggest problem at present, as winter draws on, is looking after the New Zealand sheep," says the letter. “ Feed is very difficult to obtain this year, as the area has suffered from semidrought conditions, which have reduced wheat and other crops considerably. We look forward to receiving further bulletins from Massey College. We are particularly interested at present in information on sheep, forestry and irrigation, which are three things we are specially concentrating on."