"However, the international Settlement cannot be returned in a short period, Negotiations will take along time. To receive the sanction of the Consular Body, the Diplomatic Corps in Peking and the Chinese Government will take at Toast six or seven months, so, during the, transitional period, we "have decided to elect this" provisional committee of nine members to assist cipal affairs and in the maintenance of peace and order, This alone shows our interest in municipal -governtnent and' our désite' to' have hare in it, We ask, therefore, we should have an equal share, definite arrangements have! been entered into, we w this line of action and, negotiations have been' concluded, de facto Chinese Councillors will be elected from the people, Certain, people," continued the chairman, "allege that we are afraid to assume responsibilities in connexion with public affairs, but T want to refute that statement, We are interested in municipal affairs and desire to have our full share of the responsibility of administering such municipal government, If we elect this committee of nine members and thg-Council declines to negotiate with us, surely we cannot then be scoused' of shunning responsibility. The responsibility will not be ours. }We must, therefore, decide on the following questions:—
"1. How shall the provisional committee be elected, by vote oF otherwise?
"2, What shall be the qualifications of members of the provisional committee; Shall they be members lof the executive committee of the Chinese Ratepayers' Association oF otherwise?
"3. How shall the parties cerned be notified of our action
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.