all intents and purposes Shanghai now ringed by Japanese forces which are military control of the Chinese territory surrounding the International Settlement and French Concession. The position is unenviable, even Ahough it' undoubtedly connotes relict Afom the extreme dangers fand hardships" of the last. three months. 'The complications attendant on the triple polity' of this city of over 3,000,000 people produce anomalies which have their embar-Fassment' for the Shanghailander and also for the military authorities now charged with the dual task of continuing operations in the field beyond Shanghai and yet, maintaining order in that part of the City which has now fallen temporarily into their hands, General Matsui is credited with certain statements which have been precipitately interpreted as if they were formal announcements of policy. So far as can be judged the substance of them can be regarded as the outcome of soldier's desire to emphasize the extent of his recent victory. This journal sees. no reason to alter its view that General Matsui {s not likely to overlook the peculiar status of the foreign municipal areas. He would lightly attempt to. burden himself problems which "would distract his atten fion and divert his energies from his main ppre-occupation—the successful prosecution of operations in. the field. Those who have—quite naturally perhaps—been impatient to tonsure the restoration of certain amenities atthe earliest possible date wil have to realize that the Japanese Commander-in~ Chio€ must place first the security of his! forces and their freedom to continue. their offensive. In so far as that object is faci-Titated by the prevalence of normality in Shanghai he wilt no doubt be disposed to give such matters attention. There is every Indication that he will be anxious to avoid any action which might be calculated 10 retard the application of remedial processes to the stricken organization of this city. On this point Chinese and Japanese interests coincide. Just as for the Chinese of Shang-Thai, who have done all that they can to maintain their national sympathies, the immediate concern is the restoration of norality or as near normality as conditions permit, so for the Japanese command. the elimination of Shanghai as a military liability is equally desirable. That naturally wil be brought about by a general effort on the part of all concerned to ce-operate in pre~ serving civie equilibrium, At this moment the mental distress of the majority of Shanghai's citizens owing to the occupation of their territory by a. foreign military force is recognized and evokes sym: pathy. They will, however, have the prac-{ical commonsense to agree that, since the! armed forces of their country, after a gal-Tant resistance, are mow beyond Shanghai's contact they cannot do more than hope for fan ultimately satisfactory outcome of the policy which inspired the general acceptance of Japan's challenge. Here in Shanghai there is much work to be done in the provision of relief Yor distressed Chinese civilians, in furthering the medical care of wounded soldiers now virtually interned in the foreign areas. Without provoking actions to which' the Japanese military authorities could take logical exception energies can be concen trated on this humanitarian work and still vindicate Chinese Shanghailanders' patriolism. "In other respects it is necessary for all citizens, whether Chinese or foreign, forder their occasions in the light of the' occupation which has now been established tunder General Matsui's direction. Activities and. expressions of view which might have been proper before that occupation can no Tonger' be indulged without breaching. the public peace. Dignity alone demands franc acceptance of that situation for efforts. to! evade it or to act as if it did not exist can only lead to aggravation of the general dis-{ress and so to an ignominious exposure of their futility.
Destruction and worse have been endured by "Shanghai with sufficient fortitude to acquit its citizens at this hour of any lack of courage or independence. Shanghai has now to work for Shanghai and by so doing it will best serve the cause of China, were no benefit to the Government if perversity here were to expose this city to fur ther strife when the means for continuing that. strife on the only lines which could possibly be elieetive have disappeared. the altitude of the Japanese military authorities be dispassionately considered. from the time that their ring has been placed round Shanghai it will have to be admitted that they have shown considerable restraint, have even displayed anxiety to facilitate the normal working of the administrations of the two foreign-controlled municipality. It will not be denied that this directly ben fits the vast Chinese population of those two areas and actually gives a guarantee that, provided reasonable regard be paid to the Fealities of Japanese military control outside, those administrations can continue to function. "That development. must really contribute to the restoration of such parts of) the dislocated machinery as can be put into! running order even though the economic and other disabilities of the moment are: irksome. 'This does not prejudice the view which has been token of the rights. and wrongs of the present confliel, It bars no' eventual effort to ensure that due attention is paid to that view when the termination of hostilities Jeads to discussion of the future.
Indeed the sooner Shanghai can recover some of its main sources of commercial, social and financial activity, the better will Chinese citizens here be able to throw their full weight into the scale of such negotia~ tions. That time unfortunately has not come, For the present Shanghai has to regard itself as an interna, Such a position do-mands courtesy, respect and consideration for those who have by circumstances assumed certain responsibilities for the administration of arcas which no longer are controlled by Chinese authority. Those obligations weigh with special intensity on the citizens of the foreign areas, for the com= paratively greater freedom which they enjoy imposes the necessity for a corresponding restraint in the interests of the community as a whole and of the great oily itself, From. observation of the conduct of the Japanese High Command here there is ground for the belief that if these principles are observed it will be ready fully to ce-operate in ensuring the immunity of Shanghai from unnecessary restrictions on its legitimate activities.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.