Sune 7.
On more than one occasion within the past two years reference has been made in these columns to the amount of cargo pilferage proceeding in Shanghai. The principal point we were impelled to make at these times was that when pilferers were caught the sentences upon them should be substantial, and with proper deference to the judicial authorities concerned we drew attention to the increasing severity of the courts at Home in dealing with offences of the kind under notice. Here the tribunal principally interested was the Mixed Court, and those bringing complaints to its notice had the satisfaction of seeing that with every additional case taken for trial the penalty was increased, in line with the Home procedure.
It was believed that the pilferage evil, rampant as it had been here since about 1918, was somewhat checked by these steps, although there was no doubt in anybody's mind that the great majority of the wrong-doers were never brought to justice. A swift journey across the narrow stretch of Settlement at Yangtszepoo offered much inducement to the thieves to take a risk in that direction, while if that were likely to prove impracticable, the Pootung hinterland held out immense attractions in the direction of safety both for person and fruits of pilferage. We are now told that at Home appreciable progress has been made in curbing the operations' of pil-forers, and certain reasons' have been assigned for this better state of affairs. This naturally arouses fresh interest in the local situation, and while we may point to some improvement, we find a really extraordinary state of affairs responsible for it. It" comes to this that the shipping companies have had to employ what is virtually a police force of their own in order to mitigate the evil, and apparently, unless the proper authorities are to tackle the subject adequately, the companies will be put to this expense for an indefinite period.
Tu greater degree or less four public authorities are concerned in Shanghai with the maintenance of such a condition of security as would reduce pilferage to a minimum. These are the Police of the International Settlement, the French Concession, the River and Pootung. Of these the River Police are primarily interested, the patrolling of the harbour being- in their hands. The other forces have their responsibility first when the cargo has left the river, and secondly in cooperating with the River Police in the detection and apprehension of malefactors. Now the harbour of Shanghai is a very extensive place in these days, what might be described as_ its business limits running to be-between seven and eight miles, and we find a force consisting of one Inspector, four Sergeants and eleven foreign Constables (vide the Hong List) charged with the duty of looking after it. We understand that four steam-launches are at their disposal for getting about the Harbour, and, of course, they have Chinese assistants. The work of patrol,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.