Dec. 8.
THE dispute between the French Municipal Council and the Compagne Frangaise de Tramways et @'Eclairage Electrique et des Eaux has reached an acute stage. Unless the company climbs down from the haughty attitude it has adopted by to-morrow, the French Council wil] have no alternative but to carry out its threat to take over the management of the public services. In doing so the Council will, we feel sure, be certain of the support of the majority of the residents in the Concession, who have suffered and are suffering from the inadequate services that the company are maintaining. It is nothing shore of disgraceful that in a growing district such as that under French control there should be such causes for complaint as we voiced last March, and it is the realization of that fact which has caused the French Municipal Council to take the steps it has. As matters stand the Company have been proved by argument to be very much behindhand in their tramway development, while from actual and general experience the services of water and electric light during the past year or so have b open to the—strongest criticism. We are not concerned with the reasons advanced for this failure; they operated in like manner against similar undertakings north of the Yangkingpang; quite enough time hes been given to rectify these failings and, comparatively speaking, nothing has been done. Were it for lack of money, some allowance might be made, and, possibly some assistance given: but for @ company, which last year made a profit equal to nearly two-and-a-half times its capitalization, there is NO excuse.
It is because we feel strongly on this matter that the foregoing is penned: it is not a pleasant task to criticize any French endeavour at the present time and those who admire the nation, as we do, will feel regret that these things have to be said. Leaving this aspect of the case and turning to another, what, may we ask, is to be the position of M. Résu, the French Consul-General, in this matter? We ask, because it has been suggested to us that the influences at Paris exerted on behalf of the company are power-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.