The proprietor of a refreshment house in Foochow Road whose premises do not meet the requirements of the Public Works Department and who was recently ordered by the Mixed Court to have the necessary alterations made, appeared in Court again last Friday, charged with having failed to carry out the order, Inspector Kerrigan asked-for a closing order, pending completion of the week.
Mr, Schoenfeld, for the defendant, protested that it would be a "most drastic thing" to close the premises because of ''a mere violation of Shanghai Municipal Council bylaws."
Inspector Kerrigan informed the Court that last year defendant was fined $20 for keeping a food and wine shop without a licence. He appeared again shortly afterwards and was fined another $20. On the third appearance he was fined $100, and on April 25 last he was fined $200, and told then that the Council's requirements would have to be carried out. Instead of doing as directed, he put on another floor and fitted it up into. small rooms. These were pulled down by the IP. W. D. He was again told that the remises must be altered according to the requirements of the Council, but he made no attempt to do anything. "He simply laughs and goes ahead," said the Inspector. ''He has flouted the orders of the Court, the Council and the Police, and runs his business without a licence." The Inspector added that the business was a prosperous one.
"Is it not a serious thing," Mr. Schoenfeld pleaded, "'to ask the Court to seal the place up when the business is so very' good?"
"Tt must be very good," Inspec-for Kerrigan observed, "since he is able to pay all these fines."
The Assessor (Mr. Jacobs) gave the defendant a week in which to carry out the P. W. D. requirements, observing that the Department must show him what was required and see that it was carried out. the 29th ultimo, what appears ta have been a well arranged robbery was affected in the house of Mr. R. A. Frost, the American attorney of Hankow. Mr. Frost sent his office boy to his bank to pay in a sum of over After waiting for the return of the, boy the best part of an hour, Mr. Frost became suspicious and went to make inquiries amongst his other domestic servants. He found that his whole staff of servants had departed, taking with them most of "their master's clothes and a number of other small articles of personal property. No trace of the thieves has been found so far.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.