lug. 22, In 1916 the ratepayers' meet-~ ing appointed a Special Commission to inquire into the general question of indigence in Shanghai and the advisability of. imposing a poor rate. With one dissentient the Commission were opposed to a. poor rate, for a varity of reasons; of which the principal one was that the amount of poverty—persons in need of continual support—was small in proportion to the total population; with the further consideration that, where State aid exists, it is found to deter sons and daughters from their natural duty of maintaining aged parents. We do not know that the conditions of the particular class considered by the Special Commission are much worse than they were six years ago and we are certainly not advocating a poor rate. Indeed we have only referred to the 1916 inquiry - in order to anticipate a possible criticism of the subject of this; article. What we would emphasize is that a new problem in charitable fields has arisen. It is-due partly to the upheaval of war and the consequent trade depression; partly to the: growth of Shanghai. In former years, most foreigners here were to some extent known men-in their respective classes. Each man occupied a special niche, and if he
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.