The Chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Council (Brig.-Gen. E. Macnaghten) has sent a letter to Mr. E. 8. Cunningham, Senior Consul, protesting against the action of the River Police in attempting to prevent the Public Works Department from constructing a landing jetty on the Soochow Creek at Markhham Road and in arresting and detaining the foreman of the contract for undertaking the work.
The Senior Consul has also teen approached by Mr. Stirling Fessenden, Director-General, with the object of obtaining consular approval fof the Council scheme.
As work has been suspended on the jetty, the Council has requested its members to submit views on the advisability or otherwise of work being resumed under police protection. It is understood, however, that no Municipal action will be taken until the Consular Body has given its opinion.
Tt is claimed by the Chinese authorities that the jetty constitutes, fan invasion of Chinese territory by Settlement interests. The Council, fon the other hand, contend that although the River Police are allowed [jurisdiction over the Creek the district affected is entirely within Settlement limits.
According to the Chinese press, the foreman is being imprisoned in the Bureau of Public Safety, whose officials have emphatically refused to release him. Negotiations for his release are now proceeding between the Chinese authorities and the Municipal Council
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.