Ratepayers' Letter to Council The following important letter, relative to the enormous demands set out in the recent report by the Electrical Engineer-in-Chief and Manager, for extensions of the Electricity Department aggregating an outlay of over Tls. 6,000, C00, was ent to the Municipal Council a As will be seen, the ter is signed by 21 leading Rate pay Shangha, Feb. 1, *920. The Chairman of the Council, Shanghai Municipal Council.
Shanghai.
Sir:
Having reference to the extension scheme published in "Municipal Gazette" of January 29 involving an expenditure during the ensuing two years of approximately is. 6,000,000 we the undersigned, voicing the opinion vi ourselves anu others interested in Municipal affairs, request further information concerning triose huge loans in order to estimate their eft upon public finance.
We propose that the matter shall ye thoroughly debated at the forth coming Aatepayer's meeting and in the meantime request the Council to be good enough to give us an surance that no new orders will be placed or the community committed to the extension prior to the above mentioned Ratepayer's meeting.
In order intelligently to study the question we shall be obliged if the Council will furnish us with the information asked in the subjoined queries; figures where neces. sary to be in taels, sterling and/or gold dollars—shown separately.
1. Give the exact sums to which we are already committe? for plant already ordered and not yet paid for.
2 Give figures of the proposed extension showing contemplated expenditure during each of the years 1920, 1921 and 1922.
3 Give details of contracts, with dates of expiry, for supply of electricity in bulk to districts outside the Settlement.
4. How do the above figures compare with the amount of electricity delivered inside the Settlement 3. Give under separate headings the estimated expenditure for the supply of current inside and outside the Settlement during each of the ensuing three years.
6. Figures showing units consumed during the last year.
A. for Power (inside and outside the Settlement under separate headings).
B. -for lighting and general purposes.
7. The estimated increased consyimption during the next three years.
A. for Power (inside and outside. the Settlement under separate headings).
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.