The gravity of the situation with) regard to the supply of electric light and water, and the maintenance. of the tramway system in the French Concession, by the Compagnie Francaise de Tramways et d'Eclairage Electriques de Shanghai, which was the subject of an article in this paper on March 20 of this year, is now being dealt with at considerable length in a series of articles by M. A. Chapeaux in "L'Echo de Chine." The "articles themselves, giving as they do the history of the company in some detail, are too lengthy for translation in full, but the following facts derived therefrom and M. Chapeaux's opinions will be read with interest by ratepayers in both the French Concession and the International Settlement.
Dealing with the supply of electricity, the writer points out that, prior to 1901, some houses in the French Concession were supplied from the system operating in the International Concession. reason of the expansion of the demands of this clientele, and order to maintain its independent the French Municipal Council erected a station in 1900-1901 on the banks of the Yangkingping, in the compound of what is now the Northern Police Stati the in-Btallation only functioning during the hours when electric light was needed.
Towards 1907, the station proving insufficient to meet the demands made upon it, and as the question of tramways had arisen, the Munici pal Council sold the monopoly io electric light and tramways to the Company at present under discussion. Between 1907 and 1909 this company erected a new station at Lokawei which was equipped with four machines with a total output of 1,100 kilowatts. In 1910- 1911 a fifth machine was added. giving a capacity of 1,450 kilowatts. a total which was sufficient for the service and to provide the future requirements.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.