To the Editor of the fonru-Cinwa Dany News Sm—The news that the Hungiao area is going to be "fully defended,"
doubt going to be gre encouragement—and quite rightly /—at least to one of the combatants. [But in the event of the tides furni and another strategic withdrawal becoming necessary, no doubt we stand every possibility of seeing a further exhibition of what was done with Chapel—only this time it going to be foreign and not Chinese property that's going to contribute to the Guy Fawkes celebration.
And, of course, the poor investor will be told by "the powers-that-be and possibly by the good authorities of the Model Setilement—whose gracious development in roads had served as a welcome beckoning for the creation of a Beaulabland in the western suburbs of Shanghai, minus a territorial status—that cest guerre. But what a practical joke! And, what's more important, who's going to foot the bill?
It is noteworthy In this connection that now houses built within the perimeter of the British troop-profected area, in many cases pay taxes to the Settlement authorities, nor were they. policed by any than those of the Chinese civic administration, notwithstanding the fact that these properties are enclaved Settlement-built and maintained roads. Yet, they enjoy the comparative peace and protection accorded them no doubt solely through the generosity and magnanimity of the said Model Settlement and its foreign protectors, whose Samaritan enterprises are of course known to us since the days of yore!
the meantime, the poor foreign investor who had been clever enough invest his hard-earned cash in real estate "over the lines" under the paper protection a la Sapajou that "its a Settlement road," is standing the risk of seeing his home shot to pieces if not razed to the ground. And this after religiously paying his taxes to the Council. A happy situation indeed!
But, one asks, what has the SM.C. been doing all this time, and when there was not even the whisper of a war, to find some solution to the sorry Jot of the "outside" ratepayer? No doubt someone knows" something about it, though possibly for some as ood reason, the poor fish in the street Is being Kept innocently ignorant of the whole affair. In the meantime, the work of destruction oes on.
Shanghai, Nov. 4.
Nor An Invesron.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.