The arrival of big game hunter Floyd Tangier Smith by chartered plane from Chengtu. caused hundreds of curious sightseers to visit Kaitak aerodrome in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the four giant pandas Smith caught in the wilds of Szechuan.
Ail except a privileged few were] disappointed, for the renowned hunter hurried his valuable cargo. to a walling car and disappeared almost as rapidly as he had come.
'The reason for his haste les in the extreme sensibility of these rare little animals to climatic change and their highly strung natures. Though as good tempered as the children's toys they so much resemble, pandas ive far from city crowds,' and if exposed to overmuch publicity. dejwelop nerves, mope and die. "A re-feet case in point is the death of Ssu Lin in Chicago.
Tenants Versus Landlords "We recommend a public statement that the Government sees no reason at present to Impose rent restriction, Dut is carefully watching the situa: tion, and will not hesitate, should future circumstances justify' such a measure, to pass legislation restrict-jing increases in rent which unduly benet the landlords."
So runs the final paragraph of the eagerly awaited report of the Rents Commission laid in Legislative Coun-cel several days ago. This halti sentence is the only crumb of comfort for the tenant in the whole of the Commission's 21-page—report, which is about the most one-sided Jdocument ever presented by a supposely disinterested body.
"Tenants are represented as having held a pistol at landlords' heads for the past few years, and by threaten ing to quit, to have forced down rents to an excessively low level. Much of the Commission's evidence was obtained from the banks who having advanced large sums to property owners, are having dim culty, In collecting the interest. One important witness, the representative jof a leading European bank, stated thay his experience during the last! few years had convinced him that the position of house-owners had been growing rapidly worse—"their Fevenue has gone," concluded this witness.
Another example of tenant rorization quoted by the Commission were the revenue figures of a concern whose books were requisitioned' by the Commission.
Over the period! 1920 to 1937, rent returns had declined from a maximum revenue in!
1930 of $51,000 to a minimum revenue of $18,600" in 1935. From this _and ther like evidence, the Commission deduce that landlords as a class have Incurred much undeserved—odium, and arrive at the conclusion that rent increases are the natural, justiable desire of the landlords to obtain 8 fair return on capital, a require ment that the Commission rates higher than the admitted inability lof the tenant to pay the increase.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.