Shanghai's joyous immaturity, when the Brigade was the most popular form of sport in the Settlement. Possibly for humanitarian reasons but much more probably because of an unquenchable energy and delight in their work, the firemen took an infinite pleasure in dealing with fires wherever they could be found, and the physical obstacles they had occasionally to overcome in reaching these outbreaks were very considerable. But that phase of Shanghai's immaturity has. passed; the Fire Brigade is become a business pure and simple and with the development not only of industries -but of local architecture as expressed in greater buildings, it naturally costs the community much more than it did. In the same way the onto lying parts of Shanghai have developed, and outside the Settlement are factories and godowns which represent much wealth. Unfortunately the rest of the development of these parts has been retarded. Obviously if the Chapei Fire Brigade, to take an instance, had grown commensurately with! the expansion of the erstwhile hanilet, it would be unnecessary for the Settlement Brigade to attend fires there. The owners of these buildings are undoubtedly relying on Municipal protection in case of fire, in fact it is stated that the custom now is to telephone to the Settlement for assistance before even they call on their own Brigade. In such a case the claim for a contribution to the upkeep of the Brigade is clear. The same considerations hold good, in fact are infinitely stronger, in the case of factories erected in the far Western district. They may take the water they require from the Soochow Creek and so escape rates, but nevertheless they rely on the Fire Department for the using of it.
As matters stand-the position is rendered difficult by the topography of the Settlement in its Northern district. On the left bank of the Soochow Creek, just north of Tibet Road, the boundary is purely conventional, and houses inside the Settlement and outside would share a common fate in the event of fire. To fulfil its duty to the ratepaying occupants of these buildings the Brigade must at times go outside, and owing to the congestion of houses in that particular area must often be a difficult question to decide how far beyond the bounds assistance must be carried
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.