Result of a Licence Inspection: A
Rare Sight at Nanking Road and Race Course It is probable that the most unpopular person in town on Wednesday was the genial chief of the Mumcipal Police Traffic Department The occasion for a few unkind remarks concerning him may be timed from 8.30 a.m., when people motoring into the Settlement were stopped at various points in a wide circle enclosing the Central District, and requested by police officers on special duty to produce their car and driving licences.
Tue ForcerroL Ones.
This procedure was necessitated by the fact that quite a considerable number of motor car owners have failed to take out their licences for this quarter, and as there are various ways by which a person so minded may escape official notice. Wednesday's ' hold up" was the only means of endeavouring to find out the names of those who had omitted to renew their licence. The same course has successfully been put in practice in former years, but yesterday's procedure showed at once that the method must be shelved. It was a simple matter say, in 1905, when Shanghai was blessed with 31 motors cars all told, and even ju 1914, when the number had reached the still manageable total of 443. Incidentally, it may be mentioned that 1914 was the last year in which street inspection was resorted to.
A very different story has to be told of Wednesday's undertaking, the great increase in traffic rendering it quite impossible for the police to deal with the business as quickly' and as successfully as was done in the old days. There are now 2,192 motor cars licensed in the Settlement (1,875 private, and 317 public vehicles), and 236 motor cycles, with the French Concession contributing about 800 cars and 40 motor cycles.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.