Discussions on Extraterritoriality Heard by University Women Heartencd by a delicious tea, the Shanghai Branch of the American Association of University Women fon Tuesday attacked the involved subject of extraterritoriality _and, under the guidance of Mr. J. B. Powell and Dr. R. ¥. Lo, gained much information on the subject. As both speakers stated, the occa sion was not a debate, but simply presentation of the subject from the standpoint of a foreigner and a Chinese.
Mr. Powell began with the ease of the American sailor who in 182t accidentally killed a Chinese woman by dropping a pot over the side vf which struck her on the hend.
Against the protests of merchants the sailor was tur r the Chinese authorities who executed him in the market Hace by strangling. At that time, the lectorer pointed out. the. Taw of England and China were fairly in acton! with regard to the punishment for such homicide, so that the was not as severe as it ds to-day, 'The Chinese attitude towards foreigners was based upon the period when foreign contacts meant only raids by "Barbarians, outside nations were called, and the Chinese saying was: To' rule barbarians by misrule is the truest ay to rule them." That this cling was not one-sided was in trated by the Texas Court which ruled that it was not a crime to hill a Chinese who was a poor cook, atertitoriality, continued the speaker upon trentios designed ly promote amity and commerce, and the system dated back many years when Russia en-Joyed such privileges from. China, the Purix Conference China vinde her first demand for thi abolition of this principle, and was fused. At the Washington Conrence in 1922 the nine powers took steps ooking toward establishment of a commission to look into the judicial system of and, if found satisfactory, to abolish thie special privilege. The preparing the appoint= nent be deferred in view of the tu: settled condition of the country, Mr. Powell admitted that abuses loch as xun-ronning and opium: smuggling were increased by. ex: traterritoriality because rinse! lanx-foreigners and Chinese claiming foreign protection made use of the privileges, He also admitted that since 16 nations enjoyed this favour nid Russin, Germany, and Austro-Hungary did not, that it was di criminatory; but he maintained that {the present condition of China. with [its "military government beyond Jemntrol of the courts made its continuance necessary" xinee "unpre-Judiced courts were impossible with the prev ayrton De. Lo emphasized the humiliation the aystem of extra ter imposed upon the Chines [expense of inconvenience of se redress in @ Consular Court, quoted Sir Robert Mart to the effec: Uhat its presence was an indignity.
also" ment the advantage iver Taw-br by immunity from search and the protection of a foreign flag. He instanced ences where foreigners guilty of cruelty towards Chinese could not be pio perly dealt with, while authorities iz the interior were responsible for the safety of foreigners, The removal of such favoured standing would, he thought, make for good will, would Yemove the suspicion that mission aries were only the vanguard of western commerce and instend of increasing banditry and ransome would militate against this, by making foreign life no more valuable to the bandits than Chinese life, I answer to the claim that extraterr toriality had protected many (Chinese.within the Settlement during the last war he felt that had there. been no restricted arca for foreigners more pressure would have been exerted to stop the fighting.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.