Canton, July 16.
Bad as conditions may be in Canton from a business standpoint, the Government is not marking time, but on every hand signs of improvements are visible. What Marshal Li Chai-sum has told the Central Authorities at Nanking is true; he has initiated an era of} progress down here that will suffer serious setback if the funds are not forthcoming for the next year' or go to carry them through to completion. Contracts have already! been let with foreign concerns for a number of municipal undertakings, and Canton must be put in the light of one who breaks his word if un-fable to meet the payments due when. these public works have reached various stages of progress.
Bureau of Public Utilities Commissioner has not been by any means satisfied. In one way after another hho has made these bus lines improve. They have had to change the inner arrangements of the ears, following plans prepared at! the 'Bureau. They have been oblived to put a fire extinguisher in each omnibus. Overcrowding has been made a punishable offence, and. an ordinance now provides that only' so many passengers shall be carried fas seats can be found for. But even now Mr. Fung Wai is not Satisfied. To show the bus owners what is what, he has had the municipality purchase five up-tothe-minute ears, as pretty as one: has ever laid eyes upon, It is not. his plan to have the city make another experiment in public ownership, but is simply trying to make the private owners see what the requirements of public service are, This lesson has made an impression, too. A new company has started up, and, if anything, has put dotter-looking cars than has. the municipality, though it would be impossible for them to be any smoother riding.
Far-seeing Officials Trafic Regulation It is the far-sightedness, the progressive spirit of Marshal Li that has made possible the starting of these works; but is also very largely air due to the efforts of Mr. Fund Wai, the Commissioner of the Burea of Public Utilities that the parent {ideas have developed to rapidly and become concrete realities of iron and concrete, An efficiency is being shown by this Bureau that has! seldom been seen in China, and despite the fact that very considerable sums are being expended on the different projects, the word squeeze" has not been heard in connection with any of them.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.