The criticism of the Japanese quarantine system in this paper has brought the following reply from the Japanese Home Office, through the Eastern News Agency.
"According to the report made by the Shanghai Municipal Council, it is evident that many cates of cholera have broken out in Shanghai. Another information from the Government General of Kuantung states that on board a steamer, which sailed om August 10 from Shanghai and arrived at Tairen on August 15, a case of cholera was found. Taking these facts into consideration, it is quite proper and just that the Japanese authorities cemcerned should regard Shanghai as an affected place. Despite fact that according to the quarantine law of Japan, the Japanese authorities are enabled to quarantine steamers from any affected place for a period of three days, they have adopted such an easy method as to detain steamers from er Shanghai for only 10 hours in order to examine passengers on board the said steamers. Such being the case, it most absurd to criticize the procedure taken in the present instance by Japanese authorities."
The first statement is simply untrue. From June 30 last to August 14 the Health Office reports published weekly in the Municipal Gazette show exactly one case of cholera, during the week ending August 7. Of the alleged case on board a ship arriving in Kuantung nothing is said of what port she may have entered before or after leaving Shanghai. But in any case it is not so much the fact of the quarantine that is objected to as disgusting—and ineffectual. methods used in connexion with it. Of course if the Japanese Government want to keep visitors away from Japan, they have hit on an effectual method of doing so.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.