The kidnapping menace continued unabated. A total of six kidnappings were reported to the police. Probably there were many mors similar cases, not known officially, Two sone of well-to-do Chinese, as wel military officer, physician, fell of several is known only one of thave been ransomed or rescued. Several other persons had very narrow escapes, but outsiders intervened, saving them and. their families from serious consequences. In spite of increased patrols in native Shanghai, more persons were Kidnapped there than in the Settlement, Turning to the other serious menace to the peace of the Settlement, the armed robber element, it is to be noted that 91 instan of armed robbery are on official record. There is some consolation, however, in learning that there were 119 such crimes in February, 1927, and 189 in January, 1928. No reason has been given for this very appreciable decrease, although is possibly due to the fact that the Nationalists are enrolling large numbers of men into the army. Perhaps it may also be due to the increase in kidnapping, this element organizing in order to obtain larger stakes without immediate personal risk, The installation of "burglar alarms may have been a deterrent factor.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.