'A General Survey To the Editor of the "Norra Cuina Dai News"
Sm,—The recent letters on unemployment in Shanghai and your subleaders on the subject, should be of interest to every foreigner in Shang-here ihe dows but ate Conan pute ady should inves fee our unemployitentitaaton to find out list how much of it can be traced to the present so-called Repression" ant Bow mach gan be traced to the changing of Tocal conditions. While there are many ere who scale chat pid changes are taking place and are keeping pace to meet them, there are others who are resting on false security, 2 Ped i is not the city st was as their home they have to earn their living here. As stenographers, clerks, bookkeepers, sales people, joe, they play an important part in the commercial life of Shanghai, and ive considerably less remunera-than What we will call the fide foreigner." Many of these people have had little or no contact with the country of which they are registered subjects, As Shanghi the only home they know and as they are best fitted to work here, they can justly claim a prior right to employment, Another fairly large community amongst the foreigners in Shanghai
have been in pre the Portuguese, The Portuguese la for a great many years and the Portuguese community in Shanghai is a very old one. There fare many Portuguese men, women, and children who. regard Shanghai as their home. Their parents and grandparents may have been born jears or more ago, and many hi ere, and this is more home than people either do not realise this, or native Portugal, which they they do. not want to, Many will re-may or may not ever see. Shanghai een andthe Toenail atberies firms are filled with Portuguese type thal the Tena gatherings ists, stenographers, bookkeepers, them when a mail boat was in from countant, ete, This classifica home, Also it was only a few years enters very much into the foreign ago when our parks were exclusive employment, situation in Shanghs ly for foreigners, Still more recently saw the passing of the 5 per cent. feniptoyees, and they do not receive fang most of these people are local "much remuneration the ed higher and augen cane so-called imported foreign employee. a serio The past 10 years has seen foreigners, Avenue Joffre outrank the Katal-During the past few years one has skaya in Harbin, as a leading Rus-soon the Chinese dolar deprecia sian thoroughfare. 'The Russian to a new record, the' the past few [community is now one of the largest months hag seen' it back on the up- f foreign communities in Shanghai, grade, We have soon the high tari and- is also the one that has had and unfavourable exchange greatly the most trials and tribulations. help to bring about local manufac-Shanghai is very much home to turing. A list of the products th most of these Russians and most of are now made in Shanghai would greatly astonish many of our re-them re trying to do. everything postibfe to improve their standard sidents, and each month, sees new of living, The, greatest drawback items added to the list, There was 2 for many of them was a lack of the passing of the old mixed court, knowledge of the English langu the cables have come under Chinese However, more and more they are supervision, and no doubt but the becoming a part of the commercial future will' bring forth the passing life of Shanghai, and this commun-of extrality, ity must be considered in the foreign During the past 10 years quite a employment situation, number of foreign firms closed, some 'The next classification includes Whose names went back to the earl British, Americans, Europeans, ete. lays of Shanghai. Some were retail who have lived in, Shanghai' for stores and no doubt but the future many years, and the' they have some will bring about the closing of more contacts at'home, they are not very of these, Chinese department stores, strong. Many of these people and provision stores, drug. star their families have not been home ffex competition that forel in years. The children have been educated as far as possible in the Wgeal schools and then have gone to Thits, tailors. mover ign work locally, Fe con" money until China New Year, there Wwere no buses and motor ears were Few' and the private riesha reigned supreme, everybody. enjoyed life. to {he utmost, Foreigners dd not count find they supported the but to-day they they can buy things. the ied ce ere than any place dre. They enter very much into the foreign unemployment situation, for many of them could not afford to go home, and if they could it would be hard for them to get adjusted at home after years of The last group of foreigners in-'The term "foreigner" includes a cludes the same' nationals as, the great' many nationals. who. live previous group, except that they are Fitmotern international it, Mort those who ure out here on contract, of us are here because our livin land who gut home leave every few fore, and no doubt but most of us years to keep in touch with the home have a natural preference for our country. Most of this group is en-Theme country. There ave. some. who titled to a passage home State that the slower pace of living families if economic con: fud the availability of cheap their positions. locally. fants ie make Shanghat a osa This group receives the tie 15 home, However, we are all lace "to live, and they prefer cial remuneration. Their ire educated locally or are sent ing in Chingy and to.an extent home to school. Many can afford to guests of Chinn, "This isthe send their older children home to Home of the" Chinote and they, mae college, which gives them a chance the local employment situation. The turally playa very large pa fo get'located at home if' they desire, 'Those who ennnot afford move eduented the Chinese. become to go home to school or have in' Western, methods, the more they connections at home have to find are going to replace foreigners work locally. This last group of various folds of nativity. There are foreigners is the most "favoured any' schools teaching" commercial group is every respect. subjects. and' the youth of China are taking advantage of this.
These various groups of foreign-Seo Chinese iris working in''many ers have to be considered in the em-Sores, and. others ave capable type ployment and unemployment situaists "and tenogeaphers, and. their tion in Shanghai, and with parti-standard of living is different, they ular regard for the future. "The work for lose remuneration, and past. few yenrs has witnessed the during the present unfavourable con-decline of many imported items, due Aitlons, "they are ving" foreign Girls some Keen competition. Ten to, local manufacturing, and ' the future will see more of this. Some Sears age.and less few Chinese import firms have closed up, others ere. tobe seen. in business. the handwriting on the wall ai Yersities in China and abroad are Tooked. around for new lines that Turning oat more and more Chinese could be dealt in, and other firms professional men—doctors, Inwyers, have amalgamated to reduce over-Engineers ete and slowly they are head and to strengthen their posi-Similar fields of activity. Already ug. to. eliminate. foxelgners mn. These changes have brought
there are several "Chinese doctors about some of the present unemployment. Many firms have. reduc who are superior to any' of our [oval staifs or have cut salaries, not Yoreign vectors in several specials by choice, but by necessity. Until cai branches of edicts Local times have much improved those Manufacturing is going to use more who can Work for the least wages find. more, of the trained 'Chinese. will get the available positions. These tacts must, be recognised. in The 'Future will no doubt ses considering. the future of foreign more and) more Chinese filing employment. positions that foreign' men and After the Chinese the next elassiwomen have occupied in the past oF fication to bs considered is that of are now occupying. Every foreigner {hose people who have or had one has to consider his own posi make his own plans for the future, foreign parent and one Asiatic and there are many who need to be arent, and we'll use the word advised in this matter.
Eurasian for the want of a better term, One might safely say that in We have hundreds of local foreign the majority of cases the father boys and girls going to our local was a foreigner, so that the childchgols and who will have to go to yen are registered in a foreign Con-wor when "they Have. completed sulate and consider themselves for-hele Tent edueatfon. In the past eigners. Shanghai is the home of many of the local girls have become large number of these people, and Typist stenographer, cleric, sales:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.