'A new committee was formed in 1879, again by the Council. This committee submitted a brief report to the ratepayers in February 1890. A further report was also submitted to a. special, meeting of ratepayers held. on several consecutive days at the end of February and the first week of March 1881. On March 30, 1881, & special meeting of ratepayers approved the revised Regulations proposed by the committee. The Proposed revision was submitted to the ministers of the Treaty Powers June, 1681. The ministers took their time in considering these Regulations and even suggested certain alterations which were duly adopted. by the ratepayers in February 1803. "In Spite of this, however, the alterations appear to have been received with disfavour and the revision was shelved until 1896. It was then recognized that the new code which had been adopted, submitted for approval, but not put into force, was ilselt out of date. Proposals for a further revision" were fade and carried ut a ratepayers' meeting on March 10, 1696. Again the Council was baulked, It received very direct intimation that would be extremely dim cult, if not impossible, to secure the ratification of the ministers ut Peking and the Chinese Government, and the at~ tempt was consequently abandoned.
In July, 1897, a sub-committee for the revision of the Land Regulations was formed by the Council. This committee was charged with an am-Ditious task. It was called upon to Graft an entirely new set of Land Regulatigns. Tt became evident that such a course would involve endless delay and probably end in ultimate failure, The committee eventually contenied itself with proposing certain amendments to the existing Regulations, which at a later date were adopted. and ratified by. the ruinisters, and now constitute Sections 6A, 6B and Regulation 30.
'These amendments, apparently, were not expressly approved by the Chinese Foreign' Office. But" the ministers permitted them to be treated as amendments on the same basis as the Land Regulations of 1809, which themselves were not approved in express terms by the Chinese Government.
Ministers Unsympathetle The Council's objec: in attempting to secure revision of the Land Regulations was to enlarge its administrative powers and to remove some of the ambiguities and uncertainties of the Land Regulations of 1869. Unfortunately, it is clear from the records that' the foreign ministers Peking did not regard with sympathy the efforts of the Council to enlarge its powers, Consequently, the failure to secure these enlarged powers could not be attributed entirely to the opposition of the Chinese Government.
"The. Settlement boundaries were extended in 1899 and Land Regula tion' No. 3, which defined the boundaries and limits of the Settle ment, was amended so as to apply the extended area. But no attempt was made to secure s general revi sion at that time. This undoubtedly was due to the fact that bitter perience had impressed on the Coun-Gil the conviction that the extension fof the Settlement would be indefinitely delayed, if not altogether defeated, if it were made te depend on a veneral revision. In 1018, Article 6C, dearing with the construction of new roads, was added to the Land Regulations, having been passed at a special meeting of the ratepayers held on March 13, 1906. It will be seen, therefore, that it took no less than' 12 years for the Council to ob-{in authoritative approval of a provision essential to its fulfilment of its responsibilities for road development the Settlement.
In 1918 a slight amendment was also made to Article 19. By this amendment the foreign Treaty Con uls were empowered to fix the day for the election of the Council in February or March instead of January or February. It is not unfair to} describe these amendments as minor. They were effected by following the procedure prescribed in the Land Regulations and were approved by the foreign ministers and the Chinese Government after suitable delay.
Amendments to the Land Regula tions whereby Chinese members were admitted to the Council and to the Land Commission are recent examples of approved amendments, but they are so much within common knowledge that detailed reference to them is unnecessary.
The net results of these efforts on the part of the Council have not given any extension or enlargement of the Council's administrative powers, except the additional powers conferred by Regulations 6A, 6B and 6C in regard to the acquisition of land for Public roads, construction of roads fand so forth, and the powers under Land Regulation 30, which enable the Council to make rules with re~ gard to buildings and the like. With the exceptions noted, the Land ulations in force to-day are to alt intents and purposes the Land Regtulgations of 1860.
The practices and policies followed by the ratepayers and the Council fromthe earliest days of the Seitlement may be said in many Fespects 10 form the working basis of the administrative system of the Settlement. They are, indeed, almost more important that the Land Regulations themselves, and it would be virtually impossible to codify them and retain their full value and signi-
The Feetham Report Although the Feetham Report containg valuable material for reviewing the constitution of Shanghai and, perhaps, devising methods of improv-the constitutional structure, there fe circumstances which render it Unsuitable for specific treatment in this regard. To begin with, conditions have radically changed "since Mr. Justice Feetham presented his Report. The Settlement's position hes een challenged from within, a deve!~ lopment which his report ' did not foresee. Moreover, the Chinese mem-
From rir *Nowni-Cumma Dany News," oF Ocrosen 1, 1975.
About the usual number of Ridemen turned out yesterday afternoon; and the Hangers were very dairy represented; Dat the Atiiory" was conspicuous By absence. "We are at a loss to account {or this, as the Gating gun has arrived, nd\the arlillerymen ave. we believe, Gnxious to resume active service. It only needs that the Company should be called together and instruciea im their Sew drug to tame their accustomed place. We have had tw regret, now, for long dime the absence of this valeable {rm on parade days, and itis a thousand Dilies that it shoud continue absent now That" everything depending on the Couneit has been done Towards reorganizing the Corps. (As it was the Hilts and Rangers marched off to the Race Course and drilled independently: the former going through some Skirmithing practice and battalion manquvres with very Iait precision The drill was continued well tute dark, ud it was past 7 before Corps. was Grown. up opposite the Custom House, Ghd the order to dismiss given. Sajor Hart said few words approving the Siternoon's movements as" very fairly Sxecuted, and expressing only regret {hat the' muster" was not larger." How is that only 100 men can be found to turnout, among a population Some 1300 of 2.000 at 3 time when the Political" atmosphere "is" sulciently Charged to make a strong Volunteer force desirable is a mystery. or Ocroutn 2, 1875, Two important notices. to. mariners, signed by Rear-Admiral Gerling. com: manding the Duten naval forces it the the Malacca Straits and the discovery of supposed shoal in' the South China Sea, not Indicated in the charts, will be found tu our advertising columns.
We have received from Br. Tapp, H. M. Registrar of Shipping at Shanghai {Wo volumes containing a useful digest of information regarding the surveying Sha' registration of ships:—one entitled "instructions to Consuls in China. and Japan concerning their duties In respect Of the registration of ships." the other, instructions to the Surveyors in China and Japan, employed in the measure: ident of shipping te Prom rue, "Norru-CsxaDatty News," or Ocrosrn 3, 1875.
The entries for the Shanghai Autumn aces Gloved on Saturday, and compar with former meetings Tlenkwan appears) amount is Tie 2000."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.