To the Editor of the "NornisCutxa Day News"
Sm—You say that the increase in the education budget is not largely caused by the rising costs of the Couneit's schools, and by. selecting tone class of expenditure, "Operating, Charges" you show a reduction approximately $210,000. per annum, between 1951 and i936, 'This, if 1 may say so. is mislead: ing. Expenditure on the schools for foreign children other than grants aid rose from $831,400 in 1027 to $811,250, in 1981, and' then "again to $870,000 in. 1936.
In 1932 the total expenses were split up in two classes, "Operating, Expenses" and "Other basing conclusions. on alone. "What we are considering fs the total amount that the Council spends on foreign schools. This is the figure by which the burden on the ratepayers can best be gauged, not the figure for operating expenses only, Admittedly, the rising cost of foreign schools "has not. kept pace with the increase in. the cost of the Council's Chinese schools, but it Is certainly not correct to say. a you do, that expenditure on foreign schools is actually declining. Incidentally, T think the Council are very wise' to tackle the question of foreign schools first, It" would have been asking for trouble to have first dealt who: Min can Tena ducts" in" aps hang, et Su—I am genuinely sorry to learn that "one of your "correspondents had to pay in fine. and fee $12 for failure to turn in his driver's Weenee fo the City Government of Greater Shanghai. Being unable to read Chinese. although this requirement stipulated on the licenew, he was aware of its existence and hence the lapse which he finds costly, "However Udo not think there Is any justifieaion for him to feel like "a victim of oficial extortion" since ignorance of a Jaw does not excuse its breach and might well have asked somebody who did understand Chinese plain the Chinese characters printed on the licence as an illiterate Chinese "driver would. Likely have taken the precaution to do.
Since a slip in English is now at-ached to the Hence no British oF American will encounter any dim culty {in this respect, What wort that the welfare of the I of Russians, Japanese persons of other foreign nationalities ig "not well taken care of, Although {is neither done in Europe. nor America, still T think. it would be very nice if the City Government of Grester Shanghat would have similar slips in all other languages attached the licence for the convenience of the strangers within the nation's main portal of Shanghai, What ig the use of building so many highways in the environs of the city if our foreign friends should be Kept from driving thereon because they were warned against taking out Chinese licences?
"The sojourn of our foreign guests in China is of a transient nature, Many of them are only waiting to save enough from their China ordeal to enable them to retire. in comfort in "God's country". In the elreum= stance It would be very audacious of me to suggest that they learn written ind spoken Chinese and your com plainant is indeed correct In surmise ug that T could not very well expect him {0 be able {o read Chinese, do have no desire to make myself ridiculous by suggesting that our for jelgn friends Yearn Chinese, the more 0 since T have so often heard my compatriots being upbraided in America for their unwillingness to earn the Language of the land and prepare themselves for assimilation. My countrymen in the United States {te considered very poor stuff for immigration as they evinced not the slightest interest inthe welfare of the country. whence their livelihood and accumulated savings are derived, their entire concern being to save as much and as quickly as possible and then scram for old Cathay, 1 am surprised to note that the [Maritime Customs, the S.MLC, and the British Chamber of Commerce have {been encouraging foreigners to study the Chinese language and T have met Chinese-speaking foreigners who speak certain dialects much better in T do. "TI is all_ very unexpected ind I wonder att, The only explana= ion T can offer is that the foreigners wre more energetic than the Chinese and have taken up the language for disciplining their mind, Kao Kwox, Shanghai, Apr, 21, Save" cut rity" campaign I tne 0 the bee started in Nanking, aecordi "Chinn Times." which says Gotinel choos are belt' operated at that "loose" women will be liable to 18 days Schools ts deetining
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.