The Charity. Organization's|to the growing list of mission- The Provisional Court comes report for 1929 deserves more notice than it may perhaps have got from its appearance in last Friday's Municipal Gazette. It is a pity that the accounts could not be published simultane ly, as they would have shed an interesting light on the efficiency with which the C.0.C. makes every penny stretch to its utmost. The wide range of relief work in Shanghai is shown by the fact that persons assisted by the C.0.C. during 1929 represented no fewer than thirty-four different nationalities. "One marvels vaguely at the workers' linguistic abilities. Commenting on these records the Committee say that "though several former eases are now off the books, either having Toft or being in positions where they no longer require assistance, there are many indeed who are always with us—éven unto the second and third generation."
The Committee again stress "the importance of closer cooperation between the various charitable institutions as. the only means of preventing overlapping in the matter of mon ary and other assistance." It is curious that this admonition should be further needed as the C.0.C. is itself the best clearing: house of cases for relief: the chief national societies ere continually indebted to; avd gladly acknowledge, the help which its wide knowledge puts at their disposal. Others might take note accordingly. There are some interesting details of the Council's Work Sheltet at 41 Soochow Road, showing that it not only provides bed and board for the destitute but may be the beginning of a chain of assis: ance which will eventually set ——-—them-back into regular employ.
There are, of course, some incurable mendicants. "We have known of persons appealing for help who, on being given a letter to the+C.0.C. promising. aid through its hands, have simply put down the letter on the table and walked out of the office.
But it is safe to say that no deserving case, in the usual sense, will be sent to the Committee in vain.
A very serious question that of the care of the destitute sick. Free wards in hospitals are Inadequate and much overtaxed and we read that "the Gommittee have been informa that the Hospitals are very averse to admitting cancer pa nts." The report adds tembers have heard rumours of possible extensions to the Country Hospital. They dare to wonder whether at such a time the Trustees. would grant- this Committee—or a Committee representing the sociated Charities of Shanghai—an opportunity of bringing before them the erying needs of the destitute sick."
Some years ayo the Council finitely rejected a proposal. to institute a poor rate, as involve ing activities which did not! clearly tie within its duties. The arguments for the refusal were cortonly cogent. But, after all, the Council accept certain responsibilities, education for instance, which might equally be said to tie outside its proper functions. The Chi nese we believe are pressing for assistance in respect of hospitals and it would seem that the time is coming when the Council will have to revise its position in this respect, though we think that only the destitute sick should be considered, othe: cases being left to voluntary help.
'A neporr appears in the northern papers that, if Gen. Chiang Kai-shek retires the official name of the capital will be changed from "Peiping" to Peking and "Nanping" substituted for Nanking. aries kidnapped and murdered by Chinese Communists and bandits. There is scarcely a doubt that Miss Kajander, Miss Ingman, and Miss Hedengren, who were caught by outlaws when fleeing down, the Kan River on February 3, are dead and it will be a mercy if M: and Mrs, Porteous and Miss Gemmell, whose capture at Yuanchow in Kiangsi we reported. yesterday, do not share their fate and that of Bishop Versiglia and Father Caravario. Three other foreigners, Mr. and Mrs. Glazier and Miss Rugg, are reported to have escaped from Yuanchow, but at the moment of writing there is no news of them and grave anxiety hangs over their fate.
Perhaps the most shameful fact about these outrages is that there appears to have been no effort to check them beforehand nor, at least in respect of those past, to redress them afterwards. Mr. H. K, Sandy, the Wesleyan missionary of Hupei, who spent three weeks during December and January in the bandits' hands, was never more than twenty miles from Tayeh, an important town closely con-weeted with the Yangtze in southeastern Hupeh, and ultimo ately owed his escape to his own cleverness, not to any assistance by Hupeh's officials. Nor was the slightest effort apparently made to rescue the three Finnish ladies of Kian.
To say that the provincial authorities of Kiangsi already have enough trouble on their hands with the local Communist bands without being bothered about a few missionaries more or less is an aggravation of the evil. It means that Kiangsi is in a state of sheer anarchy, which to a large extent is undoubtedly the fact, as also it is in some adjoining' regions, not ably southeastern Hupeh. More than this, however: while the Chinese Foreign Office continues blandly to assure the Powers that it is fully prepared to give all protection to foreigners resident in China, every day's. events show the' unreality of of the assertion. As we have often pointed out, for one fo ignor who suffers, a hundred Chinese are robbed and outraged and cry in vain to their rulers for the protection that never comes. Even within easy reach of Shanghai piracy flourishes unchallenged.
It, is no sufficient excuse to say that the Government is se busy coping with rebellion in the North and the South that it is forced to relax its control over other districts. The answer must be, Why this continual rebellion? If the unity which to outward appearances existed fifteen months ago has fallen to pieces, it becomes very difficult to believe that the fault is all on the one side. Yet in the present mood of politicians and generals in the chief centres of China, there appears no hope of these interminable civil wars ending unless the combatants are brought to their senses by ome sharp reminder from abroad. It is surely time that the Western Governments should take official notice of the intolerable conditions prevailing in China, We are not advocate ing the use of gunboats or of force in any form. But it may well be felt that formal intimation should jointly be addressed by the Powers to the Chinese Foreign Office, not privately but with the fullest publicity possible, that they can hold no further discussion of alteration of treaties or of matters near to the Nationalist heart, until the leaders of the Chinese in all provinces agree to drop their to an end to-day and in its place appears the new District Court and a Branch High Court for Appeals. The Senior Consul's Deputies have sat on the bench for the last time and have uttered their last protest. Henceforth, and for the first time, Chinese Judges will sit alone both in mixed and Chinese cases.
It appears to be agreed by all concerned that the appointment of the judicial police has been arranged satisfactorily to both sides, They are supplied by the Council but will wear a special Chinese uniform. Mr. J. E. Wheeler is probably not sorry to be reverting to ordinary duties. His work as Chief Cleric during the past three years has been extremely arduous, often trying, and a deserved tribute should be paid him for the manner in which he has done it. No better proof of this could be given than that he has got on well with, and is liked by, both: Chinese and foreigners about the Court. Adequate quarters, we understand, have been assigned for the new head of the judicial police. and his assistants, so far, that is, as the Court buildings allow. But these, generally, are too cramped for all the work that has to be done and additional buildings would appear to be much needed.
It would be idle to pretend that the experiment which begins to-day will not be watched with anxiety, The record of the Provisional Court, with all allowance for possible exaggera ation, was not happy makes for apprehension accoriingly. But it is fair to remember that the nervousness may not be all on the foreign side. The Chinese Presidents of the new Courts are well aware of the conspicuous place they hold, of the great results which hang on the successful discharge of their office; and unless we are to accuse them of deliberate malice, which we should certainly not think of doing, we may believe that they are ai really anxious as anyone can be to make the conduct of the Court a success. The weak point of the Provisional Court was that, although the Deputies sat onthe bench, they were practically devoid of power. They could protest, but the; could not enforce their opinions and in these circumstances it was inevitable that the protests, however justly based and conscientiously made, should often prove a mere irritant. Under the new system machinery exists in the form of a permanent Chinese and foreign commission locally resident to which disputed points are to be referred and with good will on born jes this method should actually prove more efficacious than the old. It is a further good point that the new Courts will come under the National Government, not under the provincial. vail on both sides. spokesmen have repeatedly declared that her judicial system need not fear comparison with others on a fair trial, and the agreement which comes into force to-day is evidence. that the Foreign Powers are willing to take.their word. It can hardly be that misunderstandings and friction will not occur at the outset. But the Chinese can rely upon patience and good will on the foreign side in dealing with contretemps, as we hope and believe the foreign representatives will receive from the Chinese. quarrels and combine to restore peace and order in this tormented land.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.