"Without Prejudice."
Sir,—Although we see that it will be useless to continue correspondence upon the above subject, with any hope of securing redress, we are compelled to answer a few points raised by your letter of the 18th inst. (received yesterday).
Claus: 1.—The result appears to be that the Council have decided to endeavour to compel owners to surrender land free of cost, at whatever sacrifice to them as individuals. This you term "hardship" in clause 1, and impartiality " in clause 4.
Clause 2.—The Council object to the term "unnecessary " but we used it_advisedly, as the road extensions No. € and 7 protested by us are not connections; and as the Council have not considered it necessary to turn the Rifle Range Road into a thoroughfare by connecting it with the North Honan Road {across their land Cadastral Lot 276, Hongkew) we failed to see how they could consider another very much less important road necessary.
Indeed the absolutely necessary and important road connection last referred to is not even shown upon the plan so recently supplied to us by the Municipal Surveyor; although the Council's (or Ratepayers') land through which it must eventually pass has been lying vacant for long past.
The substitution by you of Cadastral Lots 435 and 445a for 454 and 454 does not alter the fact that we never suggested or desired to deprive any of these lot owners of a road frontage. (The major portion of Cadastral lot 450 is by the present plans absorbed in projected roads.) Cadastral Lot before Granve 3.—The fat that the Council acquired 1894 does not a The road was omitted from the Inter plans. And what is of more importance to the public is that this valuable road connection has not been made, Clause 4 and 5.—Without following all the intricacies of your letter we may reman That althongh'the Council may with the letter of Land Regulation VI, which says they shall at the beginning of each year examine the map and determine lines of roads are necessary," the a Regulation surely means that the public should be notified when such ' examination" results in the projection of new roars, expecially. when new plans are issued at irregular intervals, and we think a quotation from Regulation' VI copied en the Consular "forms" can not readily be considered as a notice to the purchaser of a lot of land that a new plan has been prepared by the Council requiring the free surrender of almost the entire aren (vide our protest re road No. 7). You appear to ignore the fact that the Ratepayers who th sibly desire to have ice was given the Ys04, and they, like ourselves, will probably public of the issue of any new road plans since
exception to the decision that although "experts" were consulted regarding the plan of IS94 a repetition of such a course of action with the later plans would have been of no practical utility." It is against these later plans which we protest.
However, astheCouncil have refused all our suggestions and deny us redress we have only. task when the whole of the correspondence {commencing 2nd September) will be published? and to say that in consequence of this refusal we are now compelled to have recourse to such action as we consider necessary to obtain that which we have failed to secure at their hands.
We are, Sir, Your obedient servants, Mornisox & Gratroy, 5. 0. P. Bras, Esq, Secretary, Shanghai Municipal Council.
Council Room, Shanghai, 30th October, 1899.
GextiEurx,—I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 24th instant, and in reply to say that the whole of the correspondence will be published with next week's minutes.
Referring to your observations in regard to the connection of the Rifle Range Road withthe North Honan Road through the Municipal property known as Cad. Lot. 276, the Council directs me to state that certain negotiations in the public interest are required to be_ com pleted before this new thoroughfare can be carried through to join the North Honan Road, but it is hoped that the matter will shortly be arranged. It has always been the intention and desire of the Council to make this important connection. yourletier, the Council instructs me to observe Ju regard to the concluding paragraphs of Hat the road plans issued under Land. Regu lation VI can only call for the free surrender of land unregistered at the date of forwarding such plans to the Consulates, and that the foreign buyer may therefore be held to be in a position to protect his interests at the time of purchase, andier registration, "of new Lots. In the Council's letter of Sth inst. on this subject it was admitted that, under existing conditions, the carrying out of Land Regulation VI and of the policy inaugur rated thereunder, in 18%, is fraught with many and serious difficulties and referring to your observations as to the interpretation of the Regulation itself, the Council would suggest that any proposals framed with a view to reducing these difficulties by land-renters familiar with the position would no doubt commend themselves to the Ratepayers, if submitted in the form of a Resolution, at a public meeting. In the absence of instructions irom the Ratepayers, however, the Council can only endeavour to carry out. the Land Regulation as it stands, conforming to the policy followed by previous Councils in this important question.
Tam, Gentlemen, Your obedient servant, P. Brasp, Secretary. Messrs. Morxisox & Grattos.
Shanghai.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.