To the Editor of the "Norrn-Cuina Day News."
Sin—I am not roferrinig to the threat to the integrity of the Foreign Settlements of Shanghai in oarly 1927, when a decidedly Anti-Foreign Revolationary Army was approaching this city, and when the Foreign Powers found it advisable to send forces to Shang: hal to protect the lives and properties of their residents within these settlements, 1 am referring to the calls made on the 8.V.C, during the preceding. years, during the two Chekiang-Kiangsu wars, and the boycott and general strike following the so-called "80th of May incident," ete.
Unless I am mistaken, the mem-bors of the S.V.C. most loyally. followed the calls of general mobilization, the percentage of nbscutees being extremely small on mobilization days. As a matter of fact, I have reason to believe that every company had grent influxes of new recruits eager to do the beat in the defence of the Settle. ments and the up-keep of law and order within its precinets, Happily, the local defence forces, tue, the police, special police, and volunteers, backed up (as they been in those years) by naval landing parties, were never called action, the "in: modiate emergency' usually passing after a number days of extreme tension.
'However, the Corps, during the] past few years, has' often been mobilized for weeks and weeks on fend while the "state-of emergency" lasted.
Shanghai is essentially a commercial city, and possibly 75 per cent, of tS volunteers are, men engaged in one way or another in commercial and industrial undertakings.
T have found that during the first few-days of any emergency business was decidedly slack. Soon, however, the Chinese merchants, dealers, brokers, and shroffs turned again at the offices, discussed business aa usual, and even though not much actual business may have materialized their inquiries had to be attended to, and with far more circumspection and attention than in normal times.
Although the commanding officers fof the various companies of the S.V.C. did their best, it was very often difficult for indispensable men to obtain sufficient leave, Emergeney or not, telegrams and correpondence have to be dealt with, and prolonged volunteer mobilization
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.