Sparsely Attended Meeting to Discuss Burning Question Indoor meetings after dinner have not yet become a popular summer institution in Shanghai, and it was therefore. surprising to find only 20 people present in the Royal Asiatic Society's hall on Tuesday at the meeting convened by the Civic League to discuss the housing problem. In view of the meagre attendance it was agreed to postpone the meeting and if possible arrange an open air gathering, at the bandstand on the Public Recreation ground. This resolution was carried after an hour's discussion of various aspects gf the problem, with side references to revision of the land regulations and the Municipal Salaries Commission.
Mr. A. J. Hughes, who presided, admitted that the C League had no housing proposition to put before the meeting. During the past few months the committee had discussed the matter at length and had failed to come to any conclusion as to how profiteering houses could be prevented, or even moderated. It had been found that those who had money to invest would not take the risk of a possible slump in the price of land and in vents when they could put their money into Municipal Debentures at 8 per cent. He had been informed that day that a house which could be profitably rented at from Tls. 80 to Tls. 90 some years ago was now required to give a rental of Ts. 120 to secure a return of 6 per cent.
One speaker suggested that a scheme might be devised for building houses on the instalment plan.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.