The emergency proclamation issued by the Shanghai Municipal Council on New Year's day, and published in this journal yesterday is the only possible answer to the many unfortunate bombing incidents which have occurred during the past week in the International Settlement and the assassination of Mr. Loh Pah-hong in the French Consession. If Chinese irregulars continue to infringe the strict neutrality of these areas they must be dealt with with the utmost firmness. That the Municipal Police have handled the crime wave, inevitable after such an upheaval as that which Shanghai has witnessed, with altogether commendable efficiency is demonstrated by a comparison of crime figures for last year with those of 1927. It is ample proof that they have the situation well in hand and may be confidently expected to continue to do so. The new powers conferred upon them by the Municipal Council, in their proclamation, should prove of considerable assistance to them, and if they take every advantage of it, the probability of a serious continuance of outrages such as those of Saturday last may be very considerably reduced. There may be some inclined to criticize what the Council has done in this connection from a technical point of view, but a situation has arisen which necessitates the disregard of technicalities in order that every proper precaution shall be taken for the suppression of crime. It is, perhaps, inevitable that the Japanese authorities will express some dissatisfaction over the fact that such incidents occur, and may seek to make capital out of it, but the following, culled from the Municipal report for 1932, may ye to remind them of the limitations under which any police force has to On April 29 the celebration by the Japanese community of the anniversary of the birthday of HIM. the Emperor of Japan was marred by a terrible tragedy resulting in loss of life and ihe serious wounding of very prominent Japanese officials taking part in the celebrations. The celebrations took place at Hongkew Park and the Japanese authorities were in complete charge of this area during the proceedings. Just after a march past of Japanese troops had been completed, a bomb thrown from the crowd exploded close 10 the platform on which stood several prominent members of the Japanese community and of the Japanese naval, military and diplo-robe services. Dr. Kawabata, Chairman of the {Japanese Residents' Corporation, was killed, and General Shirakawa succumbed later to his injuries, Amongst the wounded were General Uyeda, Vice-Admiral Nomura, Mr. Shigemitsu, Minister to China, and Mr. K. Murai, Japanese Consul-General. The thrower of the bomb a Korean subject, was arrested on the spot, taken into custody by the Japanese authorities, and later sent to Japan for trial.
The point it is desired to emphasize is that the Japanese authorities were in complete control of Hongkew Park, and whatever. arrangements they made on that occasion,—and there is no doubt whatsoever of Japanese efficienc: they were unable to foresee and preven! so e an occurence. Remembering that, they perhaps, realize that with the best inten-in the world, police cannot be expected to anticipate crime. Adequate arrangements have been made in the International Settlement for the apprehension and punishment of des-paradoes engaged in these futile outrages, and the steps indicated by the proclamation, unusual though they may be, by reason of that very fact should impress the Japanese authorities of the Council's sincerity in the matter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.