Decision to Refuse Payment: Chinese Ratepayers' Association's}
Letter to Municipal Council: Reasons for Opposition: Representation Question Again The Centra) Publicity Bureau of the Kuomintang in supporting the opposition on the of all Chinese in. Shanghai to the Proposed two per cent, increase of Municipal Rates gives the follow~ why the proposed in-taxation should not be al fence Force, In other words. he remarked, the Council intended to Jmake the Chinese meet these expenses and to pay for the erection fof the barricades, which had responsible for such' heavy losses for the Chinese merchants. He would Jurge them not to pay the taxes.
Two other members of the Com-with, the declaration states, everywhere is to be seen' unbalineed municipal xdministra~ tion, Despite the fact that robbers and bandits are daily becoming more menacing, no steps have Leer taken to curb their nefarious actiies, that while the Chinese pay the majority of the Municipal venue. nothing has been said sbout public education for the Chinese; that while the public gartiens ave being maintained at the expense of the Chinese ratepayers, they are closed to the Chinese public; snd finally, that while the Chinese farm by far the greater majority of the: entire population, being over one million in namber, they are not rep resented on the Council, Furtiermore, British imperialism has Gioluted international law in mittee having exhorted all present to refrain from paying the increased tax and to urge their friends to decline ey bice to pay, there was a lengthy discussion, after which several resolutions were passed:
The Resolutions Thut local merchants be urged refuse to pay the increased taxes That manifestoes, pamphlets] land posters be published demanding the return of the Settlement and the foreign concessions as well as the abrogation of unequal treaties Jand. at the same time, appealing to the people for supper Jed to call on Mr. Quo Tai-chi, Commissioner of Foreign Affairs, with a that he should lodge protest with the Consular despatching troops tu Shanghai, In face of these facts, the de cluvation continues, how can th 4. "That protests be lodged with' the Shanghai Municipal Counci 5. That lawyers. should be enz-
Municipal Council expect the Chin-exe to agree to a further increase it their already heavy but unrewarded Jaged to defend ratepayers in the! event of the Council appealing to the Jaw courts: and perla Bang A mgt]. be taken ant fovelen fund to cover any damage sident" ought not to have as- merchants.
This concluded the business of the sumed any financial responsibility long as nf representation is acc ed them on the Council. Cert meeting and, after the usual ant foreign shouts, the meeting ter they ure not sentatives are ministration representation is poli ciple nevepted by all civilized mations: the Shanghai Chinese are thus justified in refusing to pay the proposed increase in general Municipal rates.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.