Some kind admirer, unless it happened to be a particularly, proud resident, long years ago called this the Model Settlement. dneidentally, it might be interesting to many to know with whom the term originated. Latterly, those with a bee in their bonnet have chosen to use the appellation, spoken sarcastically, as a strong' argument for reform of the particular department withering under their castigation. We have our troubles, for even influential shareholders considered it their duty to have a dig at the Telephone Ca. at its last meeting. Still, there are many very fine things about Shanghai and high up in the list of them is that. sound Municipal investment and splendidly managed undertaking, the Electricity Department. One cannot forget Mr. A. W. Burkill's retort when Mr. Cecil Holliday compared telephonic with electrical finance, "Yes, but the llectricity Department is efficient." So we can spare the more pity for Singapore, and Malaya in general in their "present sad case. Even the local papers say that it is "impossible to reprint the gigantic document" sent in by Mr.
Bolton, electrical adviser to the F.M.S., so we may be pardoned for not knowing exactly what is wrong down there, but it seems. to be generally agreed that they have got to scrap all the electric plant they have at present and get a re-constructed installation, preferably for the whole of Malaya. Estimates range about something like $40,000,000. Undoubtedly Malaya can beat us in many things—its scenery for one—but it looks as though we have a big lead in the way of electricity.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.