April 12.
To-day the ratepayers of the Shanghai Muaicipal Council bid farewell to the Council which has held the reins of office in 1931-32, to pass the Report and [Accounts for 1931 and to adopt the Budget for the current year. The Chairman will address meeting and, in the present circumstances ' when the International Settlement has just undergone one of the most. serious crises in its history, hi speech will be awaited " wit interest. The ratepayers. already indicated their choice of [Council to take over charge from Thursday onwards and the Chairman of that Council will elected on Thursday by his colleagues, The Budget for the year together with the accounts for 1981, have been duly publ led. The ratepayers assembled have the satisfaction therefore lof knowing how the retiring Council has discharged its financial stewardship and of finding material for speculation jon the way in which the present year is likely to develop. They Twill be disposed to congratulate themselves on the fact that lerease in taxation or rather the originally contemplated rever~ Ision to the 16 per cent. assessment, is to be abandoned in view lof the impaired state of their own resources as the result of recent disasters. They will have observed that the cash surplus is satisfactory, that in every department there has been a resolute attempt at retrenchment, consistent with efficiency and that the Settlement has continued to enjoy a very low asse: ment mainly owing to the favour-lable effect on the accounts of the sale of the Electricity Depart-Iment, That sale in fact, as particulars printed elsewhere show, the end of 1932," will have reduced the Council's loan in-Jdebtedness by nearly Tls. 40,000,- }900 and enabled the Coxneil to undertake the construction of! important public. works tu the value of about. Tls. 24,000,000. Thus assets have been ° created for the Settlement without additional expenditure and the cost of loan services has "been reduced, thereby, in sum, giving a a relief amount to about a 4 per cent. assessment.
This relief is probably of a. temporary character. It will be It is well-seen that as compared with 1927|gard to the recent [stocked with Japanese "advisers" the Council's expenditure has|the steps which should be taken increased, the figures for 1927 and 1931 respectively being Tis 1,712,012 and_ Tls. 16,715,099.
change, in the lat year, has been a detrimental factor. ' The situation has been improved of late. Steps have been taken to give the Council the best possible protection against exchange vagaries, but they have their natural limits. But, even 0, the conclusion is that the Council will have to face sooner or later a higher expenditure figure, owing. to the natural growth of the' Settlement's needs. Provision has been made against possible loss lof revenue and spatial additional charges arising out of the disturbance of the life of the Settlement in February. and March. There has been no panicky abandonment of projects but of necessity activities have been suspended or slowed down. [in the main the programme pro-Ivides, however, for steady progress within the budget's scope. Shanghai must feel that in many' directions extra effort will be necessary as the years pass. It is to be hoped therefore that a sane appreciation of municipal requirements will be as active in the minds of the ratepayers it is with those who give exper advice and service to their representatives on the Council. That such a course can be safely followed will be apparent to any-lone who appreciates the significlance of the fact that the Council's decision to abandon the idea Jof reverting to the 16 per cent. rate was facilitated by the spontaneous action of the Department involved which announced the formulation of a plan to ease the ratepayers' burden, by foregoing the additional 2 per cent. comprised by the proposed reversion.
There is in Shanghai such a sound genera) knowledge of bus ness principles that seriously would flog the word economy to death. Economy ithout efficiency is dangerous:
Sust now, when the hope of restoring normality is linked with a buoy-lant belief in the Settlement's future, it is vital to_insist_on the encouragement of progress sive views in the matter of improving and expanding the Jamenities and other civic ser~ vices usually expected of a municipal government. In particular it should be urged that {the Council should do nothing to weaken the standing and independence of the splendid manent affinal staff which it hai built up with an alert mind to the public interest. In a place like Shanghai, where, in addition to the status of a' world-city, there exists a vast complexity jand inter-dependence of business interests, this is a most import-fant point. In. other countries, notably in England, the security land integrity of the permanent officials of municipal boroughs of the first importance is, to some Jextent, safeguarded by statute land by the, existence of a Gov-Jernment department concerned in the jealous. preservation of sound" municipal principles. Here there la no such secondary protection. "Shanghai's municipal service has to rely almost entively on the sense of public duty. with which it is imbued by the example of its various official heads and by the treatment which it receives at the hands of ithe public, through the Council. It stands no little to Shanghai's [credit that so great a success has been achieved in putting at the Settlement's disposal officials who ican command public confidence. Not the least of the tributes aid to this reputation wae forthcoming recently when a large number of. private citizens of both sexes voluntarily enrolled themselves in that service with-lout thought of payment or reward. It showed a spirit of which [Shanghai could be proud on its own account; but it also testified to the high position attained by the permanent official in his fel low-citizens' esteem,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.