the Editor of the Norrn-Cuusa Datty New The lesson of Hankow and.
ig is a matter which concerns every single man and woman who find themselves resident in Shanghai to-day.
HBM. Government pronounced recently by the mouth of Mr. Winston Churchill the axiom that we are all in China for the purpose <f desired nothing else but that right Logically then the Government has gone to the extreme lengths we wot of to make certain changes in the status of our Concessions to promote British trade in China and with that dea alone. "Let us be clear on that point and realize its extreme importance and danger for us.
T address myself now to those us here who disagree with our Goy-cernment's action, who regard the Instrument called' the Chen-O'Malley Agreement as a mistake and who deny the wisdom of withdrawing all necessary safeguards for what they recently described as a "risk!
Let us therefore as far as in us lies, sce to it that no similar "risk"
taken here, T have lately visited Hankow and seen many painful proofs of the effect of the Agreement. Hankow to-day is a city of the dead as far as British trade is concerned and s0 is Kiukiang, and both are likely to remain 50.
The Agreement was entered into for those towns over the heads of the people who dwelt there: they were not consulted or told what was going on: they were in ignorance of the terms until the text of the fatal fait accompli came into their ha and remember also they have been compelled to leave their homes and their families were in fight, Ts it unreasonable, unpatrioticer improper to say that we residents in Shanghai do not intend and will not permit ourselves to be ignored ithout a struggle and that no.
liar negotiation shall take place }would their protests have been liste ed to: but there is still time to take Should, We not take it?
Every day one hears queries as to what "THEY" are going to do about Shanghai and who and whether it is possible that, "THEY" contemplate placing the Municipal Council on the same foot. ing as that of Hankow, forsooth,. and all that that would mean, A kind of settled melancholy fallen upon us and some whisper too late" and others "We can do nothing": both observations going to show the uneasy forebodings that British trade will NOT be promoted by any similar change of status to that under which Hankow. la reduced to impotence.
T submit itis mot too Into to make our protests heard at the Foreign Office, in all our great newspapers and most of our smaller ones by many Members of Parliament and our Chambers of Commerce.
We here to-day, the successors of the men who have made this Shang. holy such as it is, over a period some 80 years of hard work and constructive endeavour, have a duty, a charge upon us, to try and prevent four present Government from mitting or attempting to commit! another blunder in Shanghai like! those made this year in other places, 'The danger is real and imminent: for though the British Government. cannot by themselves change our" status under the Land Regulations, other Governments are likely' to be swayed by their proposals and recent] telegrams and advices from Home are ominous.
Already a "Coneiliatory" step of avery dangerous kind has been taken by the rendition of the crime inal jurisdiction of the Mixed Court} and we see in a short three months result a travesty of justice and weniace to the peace and order of Shanghai. There are indeed many the consider that the Pro Court's administration is a direct encouragement of crime with viol-fence and no one can have failed to notice the increase in the number of Veggars, who, apart from mere annoyanees, are a danger to health, Let us then be logical ant resolve that we as Ratepayers—who after all have our rights and powers—will not tolerate a change of status which would hand over the government of Shanghai to the Chinese. This town should not, and must not, be surrendered to Chinese management_on any account.
Tt is a fallacy to suppose that we have no rights and can be -over-Fidden by any croup of politicians who can "negotiate" or sign away the status of Shanghai without a with or by your leave and it should not be difficult to make heard the Twice of Britons in Shanghai as expressed for instance, ata Ratepayers' Meeting.
proclaim that what aay While there is stil time, me shoal in the opinion of Sir Austen Chamberlain promise well "for next century" Will be very evil in the intervals Moreover our grandchildren "may, wish that we had paid more atten" Yon to the circumstances of our wives and children, Do not let us apathetically down and allow our special charter hhere to be destroyed, the regulations of which, for 50 years, have bose towed privileges for good on both the Chinese and ourselves, Should, there be Ratepayers who find them= selves in accord with the sentiments, have expressed here I should be very pleased to receive their names, and addresses at the Hongkong Shanghai Bank Building. My ime mofiate object would be to frame 4 Resolution at the next Ratepayers? Meeting fortifying the Couneil_ it resisting any attempt to change out constitution, Tam, ete.
CHamzs R. Smaw.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.