The strictures passed by the "North-China Daily News" on the Shanghai Municipal Council's primitive notions of publicty have, it is understood, been endorsed by the general public. In Council circles there is some feeling of resentment that honest effort has been scurvily treated by a wicked newspaper. Briefly the official defence is that, on Friday, steps. were actually being taken to communicate to the Press the decision reached on Wednesday and that such steps would have been taken even if the "North-China Daily News" had not made inquiries. Here emerges the difficulty of distinguishing between post hoc and proper hoc, It is unimportant. The important point is that in the Municipal Office: the delusion seems to be cherished that, when the Council has come 40 a'decision on a subject which has exercised the mind of the community for several weeks and by which definite financial interests are affected, a delay of over 48 hours in making that decision public is of little equence. Tt is suggested, that, until the letters to the greyhound companies had been drafted and despatched, any initiative by the Council officials in publishing the decision would have been improper. The reports from the Stock Exchange supply one very caustic comment om this view. Mr. Peyton-Griffin, writing on this subject, as ho did nine monthe ago, in his private capacity, supplies another.
The Shanghai Municipal Council is a body possessing powers and responsibilities unparalleled in any other place in the world. It has many of the qualities of a sovereign administration. Its! need of intelligent publicity—especially at this moment exceptionally great owing to the assiduity of propagandists who are hostile to its administration. Yet, although it has delivered! itself of admirable sentiments on its desire to be communicat~ ive to the Press, the Council does not seem to have induced its officials to acquaint themselves with the ordinary methods of Press liaison. For instance, the delightfully old world manner in which a few typewritten summaries of the minutes are coyly circulated to the newspapers and the fragrant naivete with which the minutes are subsequently altered to meet criticisms evoked by the summaries are an abiding joy to the cynical observer. This is a cruel world, however, for' Lavender Ladies. Let it'therefore be permissible for this Journal to outline the procedure which would be followed normally by a Government department in Whitehall when dealing with a decision such as that made by the Council on Wednesday. To begin with the whole of the Press—either directly for the London and leading provincial dailies or through recognized news agencies for other journals—would be given a private hint (not for publication) that they could expect an official communique on Wednesday evening for Thursday's issue, The communique would be drafted and either printed or stencilled so that plenty of copies were available. As soon as the Council had reached its decision the circulation of the communique briefly indicating the nature of that decision would have at once taken plac On Thursday morning, everyone would have known how the matter stood and the stock exchange movements which have aroused such comment could not have taken place.
The objection will be made that conditions in Shanghai are different. It has little substance. Conditions here for prompt communication with the Press—
Foreign and Chinese—are far simpler than in London. It may also be objected that Shanghai does not possess so strong a sense of journalistic responsibility. This is a delusion which is cherished, not only in Council efrcles but by other magnates who would be highly indignant if their own technical] capacity or probity were impugned. It arises from imperfect knowledge. Those, who speak with authority, aver that Shanghai's journalists compare exceed. ingly favourably with journalists in any part of the world for professional integrity and appreciation of the ethics of pubplicity. Indeed the—Lavender Ladies of Municipal Building Who find the issue of information to the Press in forty-eight hours such a breathless adventure might do well to seek advice from the body of journalists in Shanghai. Would their maid-only modesty be greatly outraged} if the suggestion were made that} they should appoint—as quite a number of perfectly respectable administrations have appointed—an advisory publicity conmittee? In order that this suggestion may be immune from the taint of self-interest, the "North-China Daily News"
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.