Time Not Opporttine for Granting Increase 'The Shanghai Municipal Couné at a regular meeting on Februa 21 conaiacred a letter received from the Chinese Ratepayers' Association informing the Council that the Executive Committee of the Associa. tion had resolved that, on the bai lof the present distribution of seats fon the Council, an increase of four Seats in the Chinese membership, making a total of nine, should be effected in the current year in con Sonance with the letter and spirit fof the communications exchanged in 1928, when three Chinese were first admitted to membership The. letter also expressed the hope that this step would lead to a further increase of Chinese seats ime be in. proportion ca'that there. will ce-operation between, Chinese and foreign communities to the benefit of all concerned,"
'The Council, while sympathetically regarding the aspirations of th Chinese community as set out in this letter, decided to inform the Chinese Ratepayers' Association that, having regard to. the com paratively "short period during Which Chinese members had. been Uleeted to the Council and the trend public opinion in the foreign the foreign members of the Council did not consider the present time opportune for a further increase in the Chinese mem bership or that a proposal to effect this would be supported by all the representatives of the interested foreign Powers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.