To the Editor of the '"NonrH-Cu1va Day News."
Sm—Talking to a Chinese the other day I asked him to tell me frankly why they had singled out the British nation for their pre-awhile he sai had hatred. {ter thinking learnt to look upon Britain as a Just nation, British justice had idlways been impressed on us. In general we aimed at British ideals both in sport and in business and we Yearnt the English language in preference to any other. We locked upon Great Britain as a true friend of China. 'Then came May 30 with unfortunate incidents, British' police shot a number of our people and so effort was made to make amends. We were consequently Vitterly disappointed, our bitterness Yeing proportionate to the esteem in which we had previously held Britain, The events of May 30 have turned into a national struggle for our rights as an independent ration and we have again been' veeply disappointed to find Britain, ae it often seems, aiding agai us in our national struggle. know that our hot-headed students apd also the uneducated classes have often made use of wrong methods but we still feel that their sentiments are right and that the results may be benefic If this is the veal cause, and seems hard, except for Soviet yafluences, to find any other ex-Hlanation of the present attitude of the Chinese, it seems to me one can afford to be generous and offer to hake hands with a former! friend who now feels hurt and aggrieved, A_ friendly' gesture of the right sort has alrendy been made by the British Chamber of Commerce but a still more friendly and whole-hearted attitude in required to set at rest the present turmoil, to soothe the ruMed feelings old friends.
What is required is to come forward and say openly and frankly to China: "The events of May 30 are deeply regretted, get us shake hands and be friends and let us offer ruch solatium as is within our power to the families whose bread-winners in inatanees have been killed or wounded. ig to my mind is manly and not humiliating deed and will go further in solvitig the present crisis than judicial inquiries and conferences. If the happenings of May 30 are really regretted, why not say so instead of stubbornly or tacitly defending the action taken, To be stubborn is not to be strong. It seems to me such an expression of regret must go before any conference and any satis factory settlement. If friends fall out one of them must be the first to say, "I am sorry", and if there are faults on both sides it is generally the: stronger who will come forward to express regret. The success of a conference held in an atmosphere of boycott and strikes seems prob-Jematical. By a genuine, frank and substantiated expression of that friendliness for China which has so often been—_professed the air will be cleared and the friendship of the nation can be regained and will probably form a sounder foundation for a future good understanding than terms extracted, inch by inch, ference table. once: as a result of a conference may lead to exultation but not necessarily to goodwill. Students will gloat and await the next opportunity be the saviours of their country. It is not the boisterous student who is to be appeased, nor is it the official who is to be won, but, John Chinaman himself for whom a general liking is entertained and whose goodwill and esteem is priced.
As for the demands made by Chinese as a result of May 30 many of them are unreasonable, When they thus clamour for the immediate rendition of the Foreign Settlements and for abolition of extraterritoriality they forget that, Settlements were not granted to for-signers as favours and. privileges but that they were meant as restrictions on the undesirable foreigner. Uninviting mud flats, valueless plo of. ground, were scornfully set a for our use. We were, \as dorians, to be secluded" from the Celestiats... Chinese officials those far-off days wanted to. ha as, little as possible to-do. with us and we were left to look after ourceives,;: hence. -evtraterritoriality. When. the; Settlements." have- now) through, foreign enterprise: and me tegrity grown into flourishing and desirable spots it is manifestly unreatonable.to clamour for their immediate rendition. Those who 50 forget that they were not hand-td over to us in their present pro-Sperous state, forget that they were originally mot privileges but re-Strictions, "Eventually these Settlements wil of course. revert, to Chinese control and jurisdiction but that cannot be achieved in a day.
As these Settlements were given or pleased to foreigners and have grown through foreign i 10. evident that Chinese citizens who have voluntarily chosen to live in them cannot claim, fas a right, to be represented on the Councils." 'That it, however, advisable to grant "seats on' the [Council benches to a certain number lof Chinese Councillors has long been evident.
While it thus is not a duty to appoint Chinese councillors and not a duty to give the vote to Chinese ratepayers wwe have, as stewards of large amounts of Chinese taxe distinct duties to perform. Having permitted the Chinese to take up) their dwellings in foreign Settlement land receiving taxes from them place ourselves under an obligation, it seems to me, to spend the revenues. fin such a manner that both Chinese Jand foreigners benefit fairly equally.
Let us in this respect see what is being done and if there is anything PIM left which ought to be done. A very sore point with the Chinese and one with which we can readily sympathize is the exclusion of Chinese from—our and playgrounds. It understood that this must be strong-lly resented by all Chinese but more particularly by those who have been fenducated abroad where they mixed {freely with us and possibly even been feted. They must feel indescribably hurt by being forcibly told keen out of our parks, parks which after all are on their very own soil. We must also recollect the inordi fondness of Chinese for parks, evidenced at Peking and at other places in China where parks exist.
also easy to understand the wt but it may not! ized by Chinese that if our parks were thrown open to all there would be no room for the But, is not a suitable a park is laid out not be both fair and advisable to lay imilar park for Chinese at the same time? At the entrance one park: "Reserved for Chinese lonly (and for foreigners accompanied by Chinese,") at the other: "Reserved for foreigners only (and for (Chinese accompanied by foreigners.") We must, think, admit that without Chinese {axes we should not be able {to afford for ourselves so many, so Barge and such splendid parks as now have, If the Jessfeld park not big enough for both Chinese and foreigners and if the Council cannot for the moment afford to lay out a similar park for the Chinese would it not be possible to open the Jessfield Park to Chinese on certain days of the week so that they may also enjoy its beauty? A gesture this kind would go straight to the Iheart of the Chinese people, would sink deep into the Chinese consciousness.
Another question is what are we doing in the way of schools and playgrounds for the tens of thousands lof Chinese children within our Settlement whose parents contribute towards the exchequer. Taxpayers abroad expect in return for their taxes to be provided with schools hospitals, playgrounds, Only a few days ago a mother writes claiming another kindergarten nearer her residence as the distance to the nearest one is too long for her small children. "What about Chinese kindergartens? What about the health of the myriads of urchins playing in our murky alleyways. We were very agitated some time ago about Chinese children working in factories but what alternative have we provided for them? Are they provided with playgrounds and Jopen spaces where they can disport themselves?
I do not know the exact proportion Jof Chinese taxes as compared with the revenue derived from foreign sources, but T take it for granted that without Chinese taxes this Settlement would not be the grand place it is to-day. We should not Ihave our beautiful roads, our parks, jand playgrounds,.our public build: huds, our Municipal Band, our well-equipped Volunteers, our up-to-date [Fire Brigade etc.
If our power of imagination!
stabd the strain let us ip our minds imagine a Chinese Settlement,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.