July 22.
The efforts of Mr, S. H. Peek land other correspondents in thi journal have had a satisfactory; result. 'The Shanghai Municipal (Council, as revealed by a statement.from Mr. A. D. Bell on Wednesday, intends to have a report on the rickshaw problem' from its various committees. This report will, it is to be hoped, ead to long overdue action on traffic complication which hai seriously compromised' Shanghai's good name for efficient administration. The errant pleaded to Mr. Easy that her baby was "such a small lone." The answer usually given to critics who point to the Detter handling of the rickshaw problem in Singapore, Peking and Hongkong is that Shanghai has so. many more rickshaws that the burden on the police would intolerable if restrictions had to be rigidly enforced. Generally it may be stated that the police—engaged as they are in a mass of other more vital duties—Jexercise a rough and ready disfciplinary supervision. It ix not js0 ineffective as people are apt to think. The rickshaw man, on the whole, is a reasonable crea: ture. His chief defect is hi ignorance and, therefore, if authority: finds it the slightest degree difficult to be regularly lat his elbow, he is apt to perform stupid and unsocial acts, such as suddenly darting across a pick up a ighly problematical fare arguing the odds with a friend at past midnight, touting too persistently to the point of appearing menacing (when he fondly: believes he is being blandly perlsuasive) and neglecting the elementary canons of cleanliness fin the upkeep of his vehicle. And Mr. Peek has shown how terribly badly the rickshaw man is paid. That is at the root of the problem; yet if the fares {were raised it may be doubted Jwhether the traffic would stand jit and the Hongs are evidently reluctant to change their present basis of charges.
On one point insistence ma: Ibe well laid for it could he dealt with by the Council with great benefit to the public and the rickshaw hongs: that is tha in-
rickshaws to. tout for hire.
tendency of private Whether the police consider that impounding of such rickshaws would be an effective measure is not quite clear. The certainty is that nearly every pedestrian who walks along the Bund or up Nanking Road meets sooner or ater a private rickshaw the pul. ler of which sotto voce suggests a bargain. These private rickshaws add to the traffic problems for, lacking numbers as they do, the police find it difficult to control them, It surely should be possible to make all private rickshaws bear so distinctive a badge and number that any touting could be immediately reported to the police. As it is the public cannot assist the police to do justice to the public rickshaw man for obviously it is mot feasible for the ordinary citizen to jump into the private ate and direct the puller to take him to the Central Police tation—even supposing the delinquent would fall so readily ito the trap. The owners of [these private rickshaws would surely welcome action of a more effective kind in dealing with this nuisance for they cannot be pleased with the thought that their vehicle is taking the risks which hired rickshaws have to face. The conduct of such pirates requires all the more drastic action because, being private servants and temporarily out of their employers' sight, they are frequently exceedingly truculent to other users of the streets and, indeed, ate by no means amenable to police orders.
But it will be hoped that the ICouneil will obtain guidance to the solution of the rickshaw problem on the lines of the Cooper Report to which full attention has not been paid. The gradual reduction of the number of licensed rickshaws has unfortunately been offset by an. increase in private rickshaws. The rickshaw is the poor man's necessary. That is the great tod sudden
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.