Chinese Authorities Act Against Coolies Rejecting Clothes Just in case no one has noticed it before, the thermometer says that Shanghai is hot. Dante himself might have received his inspiration from the local Inferno. Not only is it hot but it is moist and if all the dripping clothing, brows, and handkerchiefs, could be wrung out into a reservoir and piped to the Sahara desert that barren space would promptly be a potential Jungle.
Even the law-abiding coolie, for whom gaol is a hotter torture chamber, serenely disobeys the latest mandates of the Sanitary Department of the Municipality of Greater. Shanghai, aod runs about the streets with the upper portion of his torso frankly naked. Presumably, even Jthe worthy morals of the Sanitary Department have become das since the dread order was issued that Chinese were not to appear in the streets unless fully clothed. For there are no statistics of arrests at headquarters and while some may have been made at outside stazicifficials seem to be lenient. Rise original order was to fine semi-naked offenders one dollar with which the Department planned, not to turn the proceeds into their own fund, but to buy jackets for the Perhaps, under personal pressure of the weather, the originators of the order realized that the unwelcome garment would be worn just about the length of time it would take to disappear around the next corner. 1 Simultaneously, with the jacket diet came one prohibiting sleeping outside in the byways and on the pavements within Chindse ferriter Ten arrests have been made, the offenders cautioned and turned loose without -even secing the inside of the court, It is believed that persons living in territory where that applies will either spend their lits in Settlement territory or suffer self-inflicted insomnia rather than go inside and sleep like well brought up Chinese should.
202 degrees is considered the stage, The Public Works Department, however, does not feel quite 20 optimistic. The Settlement roads ave being tested for heat radiance and the result was 165. That does not leave a very comfortable allowance until steam begins to rise, The. heat of black asphalt roads absorbs more, and consequently radiates more, of the sun's rays than do the lighter roads, The black asphalt may be felt uncomfortably warm through, leather soles and is apt to be disconcert ingly sticky. Many of the roads, however have mineral dist added to the asphalt and ave not 80 likely to molt, Painted roads melt fastest. So far Shanghai has not had America's complaint that all the tar on the roads is melting and running in rivulets from its course.
Neither has it Washington's devastating temperature of 107 d grees, In Washington, moreover, it is almost as muggy as in Shanghai, a thought that for those blessed with Pollyanna temperaments may comparative Frigidaire.
For the thermometer has not yet passed the hundred mark. It has hovered dangerously in the regions of 98 and 97, but it has not plumbed the depths of human endurance.
In spite of the fact that this sume mer's temperature might be worse, it has nol been without its exsualties, The Chinese in the crowded, airless districts are suffering terribly and many have been prostrated. Several cases of heat exhaustion have occurred within recent days among Chinese members of the French Police. These men are on duty for Jong hours, some of them being off for only eight hours in the 24, on account of the strike of utilities and the emergency thereby created. Th cruelty of standing at duty throug) cut the merciless heat of the day has proved disastrous in more than one instance.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.