To the Editor of the "Nonri-Cuixa Dasty News SmI beg the hospitality of your' columns for the purpose: of irving to discover whether there are any foreign or Chinese readers of your valuable medium for expres~ Sion of opinion who may be of ike-mindedness to myself regard= ing the persecution and oppression of the public rickshaw men by the police of the International Settle~ ment and French Concession?
T realize only too well that the oppression" exercised honely and dally at the expense of the helpless rlekshawmen inthe streets of this place is a settled policy of its civic Administration, and that any attempt to ameliorate' this public evil faced with terrific odds against the possibility of a more humane and Just attitude being adopted by the police toward their victims.
Last night I witnessed an' incident of the most cruel and tyrannical description which is, unhappily. of such wide and general occurrence. Tt was merely the chasing by a Chinese police constable of a public Fiekshawman in Bubbling Well Road opposite Majestic Road and the snatching of the rickshawman's cushion, That involves the ning of this ragged starving workman of 50 ents, the loss of his chance of custom for the remainder of his hire period, and the loss of all his time and trouble to-day in retrieving his rickshaw and finding the money to pay this iniquitous fine.
T must apologize to your readers affairs of this International Settle ment are conducted provide no ver; practical means for dealing with the hideous inhumanity and scandal, but T think that by being willing' to take the trouble of going to police stations and bearing personal hess against individual policemen who so grossly abuse their author= ily, and by dragging these instances into the local press, if possible, that the High Command of the beice here will gradually be induced to institute intelligent reform—in its present cruel and stupid policy.
bumble opinion it is both cruel and stupid tobe oppressive land brunat to" helpless and hard. working men, which 'Therefore, it becomes a matter ur demonstrating these things to those in authority who are entirely responsible for them and, by the ald of an awakened public' opinion try to bring about some improvement.
Will any of your readers who agree with my submissions be 50 kind as to communicate with me at P.O, Box 680?
Shanghai, Jan, 29.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.