To the Editor of the "Nortu-Cunwa Dany News"
Si,—The Council has accepted the statement of the Commissioner of Police as against the considered opinion of the Automobile Club of China and a considerable weight of public opinion, When small-size hire cars were under consideration and were reeom= mended by the 'Trae Committee, composed mostly of. business men, view of the Commissioner' of Police's remarks that the small hire car was not, designed for hard ser= vice" "and" "would need frequent Ingpeetion"—cobjections which 1 eve are not supported by experience in Hongkong. Singapore, Japan for elsewhere where such taxis. are use) authority to "operate such axis was refused by the Counci The Commissioner's report.
king deals with one aspect of the only—the trame side—It "com= pletely ignores business interests and consequential loss to landlords, garages, and the public generally.
'The welter was' in another large port in the East' when a similar scheme was tried. The Commissioner of Police" went to study "The result was that. garages organized squads of men. who came and moved your fear every hour for you. As the Commissioner here threatens, steps were taken to prevent this, and the result was that within a few months. once prosperous areas were practically deserted, shops. clasea down, foes and flats were vacated and there was such a storm of protest that the whole scheme was washed out and parking allowed "again No doubt the Council must. support the Commissioner of Police tp fo a point but when they ask his opinion they must realize he gives his official capacity as a police-an, and it is for the Council, as bbdsiness men, representing all "me feresis, te moderate or adjust. such views to sult" public requirements. If the Council is going to accept the oficial altitude on all matters without reserve they might just as well fall resign and let the heads of the Police, Health, Public Works and other deportments run Shanghai, The result of their recent decision regarding parking will be that the business area will be spread, professional men and others to whom fan office In the down-lown area. hot essential wilt move further out— many folk who are at present Dremises in the side streets which will be affected by the new regula-tons will look for other quarters (possibly outside the limits "of the International Settlement). when their resent levses expire, owner drivers who find dimeulty in parking will consider giving up thelt cars. None fof these things will help anyone. Land values in the central district, where porking is not allowed, will go down, it will be more difficult for ages to sell ears, and with the Spread of the business section, a series of business calls will take longer and cost. more, Instead of cutting down parking! spave a progressive Council would provide for more parking whenever Space becomes available, as there will surely come a time, as roads Fadlating from Shanghai' are fully developed, when hundreds. and sibly thousands of ears will be com-Ing into Shanghai dally from upcountry, bearing Chinese wishing 10) do business, and T cannot conceive fof them coming to the International Settlement and. paying for parking when thes: have the French Cone cession and Chinese territory where parking is free and. unrestricted. Restrletions or a charge for parking, will therefore mean driving business away from the International Seltlemay not be the "official" or policeman's desire, but it is surely the publi wish to attract more people and consequently more buslhess to Shanghai by making condltons as easy as possible, Shanghai, Sept. 18.
More Consideration Needed To the Editor of the "Nowu-Cuina Dany News 1—So the last word has been said fon the subject of the new parking regulations. In other words the wretched public has been told where it gets off and, gonded by the whips and scorpions of its own Munlelpal Council, 1s about to rush down a steep place into yet another sea of officialdom and' red tape. Well, be itt But my only excuse for pointing out the sad fact is born of a base feeling of security from oppression. ell it not in Gath—but, T have a private parking place attached to my. office. Next year, I admit, I may be called upon to pay double licence fees for this privilege, but next year we may find ourselves forbidden to bring 2 car East of the Race Course—s0 who cares? Anyway, what I mean is that for the time being I an sit back and consider the new] Fegulatious, the public protest and the Commissioner of Police's extraordinarily feeble reply with Olympian. detachment, 'The Official Reply, shorn of all' irrelevant matter, might be boiled down to two words—a derisive, Schoolboy yell of "You're Another"ti With apologies to Maurols we are informed, it seems, that there Is no creature so wicked, stupid or dense: as the Shanghai motorist. "How could be otherwise since, having had the Edict from on High, explained to them at great length in such entrane~ ing publications "as the "Municipal Gazette," Ignorant. brutes sill resume to argue and to protest the wisdom of the Council's decisions.
Of course, a purist might point out that all the fatrly well-to do, the influential, the important, the really busy—in other words—practically all those having a real interest in the Seltlement, whose business Lies in it, without whose business there would cease to be a Seltiement—all these have one thing in common, a ear. Further, it would seem a matter of somewhat more importance that Mr. X, who controls a large firm and the destinies of a few hundred people should be enabled to arrive at his office on time and without too much fuss and bother, than that Wang the Wheelbarrow coolie should enjoy, with his brothers, almost unrestricted elreulation. But of course X is a rich mon. His car licence costs him $300 1 year oF s0, so he won't mind, Fooling aside, cannot or will not! the Councit and the Police realize that special_and peculiar conditions obtain in Shanghai which do. not! obtain elsewhere? In no other large town worthy of the name will you find' the regular ebb and flow' cars at stated hours as in Shanghai. Why not legislate accordingly? Why linet realize once and for all that the fons et ango of the whole traffic problem, with its attendant problem: of congestion, is due simply and solely to the rickshaw and other man-drawn vehicles. As a counter Irritant to a mass of ill-tramed, annoying and offelous regulations aimed at the car-owner we are offered a Feduction in six months of 800 Hlekshaws. per cent, I believe. We draw two conclusions. Either that the motorist in Shanghai 1s easier to control since he is amenable to various laws and can be fined and otherwise punished at need (some-Nimes without need!) or that those well-known vested Interests have got the Council "Just where they want them—and the Council dare not act. This sounds a little like dub-thumping, but will anyone come forward
causes Is responsible for the presen! and say. that neier of these two unsatisfactory situation One last point, In his reply the Commissioner of Police answers those who have raised objections to. the present illogical method of taxing motor vehicles. He states that compared to England the Shanghai motorist pays merely half of what he would pay at home. To arrive at. 4 correct comparison, surely the Commissioner should compare the total cost of a Seitlement and Chinese Heence with Home rates." possess car for which I pay $168 per annum fo both Council' and Chinese authorities, Total $336=about £20. My car being 26 lip. I would pay in England £109.10, and look what T for my money'in England in the shape of good roads, efficient policemen, road signs, etc. Look what fet "in Shanghai in the shape of hordes of rickshaws, wandering pedesmans unchecked by the police, harrow badly surfaced roads, and Chinese police to whom a traMe light apparently an Interesting toy, unconnected with the flow of traffic, We elect the Council and no one of us but who wishes to assist those responsible 10 our utmost. But we are entitled and we require a little more consideration of our own needs in the matter, which is a point which IEE be hammered Into the new 2810, Shanghai, Sept. 18.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.