Sept. 1.
'The Sino-Foveign Committee, presided! over by Mr. W.-H, Plant, an' American member of the Shanghat Municipal Council, should have full support from the community Ils work of ce-ordinating the evacuation refugees, Subscriptions should be sent in favour of that committee to the Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation direct. The roat need is promptness, for the essence of] the problem with which the Committee is} dealing is time. The more quickly machinery tean be moved to evacuate the refugees from 'Shanghai, the less serious will be the' burden on the economic and civic fabric of a stricken! lly, Tt is estimated that about. 1,000,000 people have been added to the population of] {he Settlement and the French Concession combined from outlying districts a3 well from those parts of Shanghai which have come under the continuous blight of military operations. About 200,000 have been evacuated or have left of their own accord. Of the refugees it Is thought that about 100,000 are destitute, The process of evacua~ ion will not greatly reduce that destitution for the figure is automatically swollen. as the! days pass by. the transfer of the self supporting to the ranks of those without visible means of subsistence. The various] astoclations which are tackling this urgent] task are deserving of the utmost support and the Committee with its well-chosen per~ sonnel, assured of adequate business supervision and expert guidance, should have the} unhesitating Beneficence of the community at] its command, Various Chinese organizations tare already doing well in this regard. It) teems that the present appeal, should commend itself particularly to large Chinese! Dbusiness firms. who, apart from thely natural feelings of solicitude for the welfare of the less fortunate of their countrymen, will gladly welcome an opportunity to make a Substantial contribution to the restoration of economic stability here. It is obvious that Yang as the refugees are hold up in this blind] alley of stagnation they are a definite hhundieap to Shanghai's recuperation which, the long run, must work to their benefit as selves. 4 well as to that of Shanghailanders them-
Taken in the mass these refulgees merit the most sympathetic attention which Shani hai can give, for their general conduct and docility have been. remarkable. Tt is not ime cult (o imagine the straits to which many fof them have been reduced: by loss_of all their little worldly possessions, by "severe shocks sustained during the strain and stress of some ethel experiences, by sheer bewilderment regarding the meaning of the craziness around them. Yet, mutely questioning, try ing their best to fibd some place where. they can be allowed {0 stay in comparative peace, striving by whatever means to preserve their arsenal integrity, these pathetic groups of Chinese citizens awaken pity in the mind of the most casual observer. The spirit of] helpfulness which they display toward each other is truly remarkable. It should be Inspiring to Shanghailanders who may well adopt Dido's words: "Non ignara matt suecurrere miseries disco" or as the Cockney ballad freely but succinctly translates it "Tvs the poor what elbs the poor." Shanghai not yet indigent. It can however sense the comradeship of indigenes and this certainly will give an additional stimulus to the springs! of charity which so naturally find scope in this country where the obligations of the family syslom are so much revered. There is a) practical reason for swift benevolence for, 2 Chinese magnate of no little force' of character and by no means' lacking in finer feeling has observed, the evacuation of the refugees is a direct insurance against future trouble Quietness and patience have their task. "In particular it is Atting to commend the energy and practical guidance of Mr. Vu 'Y¥a-ching who, from opinions expressed in responsible quarters, is adjudged to. have earned the special gratitude of Shanghai for the yeoman service rendered by him in this evacuation. Tt must. be remembered that for many of the unemployed jobs are _not Ukely to be available here for some time to] come. It is true that conditions are improving. One Chinese textile mil! for example is said to be resuming on part time and others may be expected to follow suit Some concerns, however, have been closed and will, in all probability never reopen. Shanghai will have to be content with a shrunken industrial organization for the present at any rate. Reduction of the number of its inhabitants is therefore a prudent measure of practical economics. The chief thing for Shanghai to consider is that] these refugees are in its midst. The figure of 1,000,000 Is held by some good judges to be conservative and that, if the situation could be closely studied, it might be as. high as 1,500,000." Moreover the Gestitution 'Agure of 100,000 does not, fully cover the plight of refugees who, although not desperate in their economic state, are actually' without homes. These, it is said, amount to some 300,000 who are finding accommodation in odd corners of the shunt cipal areas available to them, sleeping on Staircases, in empty public buildings (including cinemas) and' the like. Obviously this condition cannot be allowed to persist any Longer than is absolutely unavoidable. The call therefore is for funds to strengthen the farm of the.comordinating committee by Immediately raising the total at its disposal to the $200,000 required.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.