Chinese Doubt Ability to Protect Life: Serious Insinuations in Letter to S.M.C.
Stating that they will "never be content to seo that the taxes paid by a million residents are expended in such a way as not to enture leven the safety of their lives;" the Shanghe! CHinese Ratepayers Association has sent a letter to the Council demanding that otzps be immediately taken to justify the expenditure of Tls. 4,700,000 on the Police force, and to demonstrate of the Council's ability to vindicate Taw and order in the Settlement. This letter has been inspired by the recent wave of armed kidnappings, our of which occurred in one week, Two of the victims of these four kidnappings have since been released, The Ratepayers' Associa tion's letter follows tained in the Annual Report of the [Shanghai Munigipal Council. These figures. were:—
Thirty-eight cases of kidnapping. Four attempted kidnappings, Four victims released by the!
Police, Five released by outside authori tie Sixteen paid the ransoms demand-
Five escaped from their captors and one was shot dead.
These figures represent a decrease] lof eleven from the year before. Among the "outside authorities" are included the French Police, the] figures referring to the Interna: tional Settlement only.
Counci,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.