Aprit 1.
This journal has already referred to the invasion of the residential district west of Shanghai, within the defence perimeter, by industrial concerns, and the grave danger that that area will' become so industrialized that all its present delightful amenities will Aisappear, and the residents forced farther afield, For the purpose of combatting. thal. development, a body known as the Western, (Extra Settlement) Association, has been formed, and it is hoped, that by their activities further' encroachment " will "be prevented, Dr. F, A. M, Noelting, addressing a meeting of the Association on. Wednesday, graphically described all the bad effects of the invasion residential districts by factories, and it requires no argument whatever te show that the presence of such undertakings, in such fu area as that which is now threatened, will have a deleterious effect, not only upon the residences already in existence, and those which may still be contemplated, but will militate against the whole of Shanghai by the destruction of what should be a lung of Jarge area to the west of the city. It would indeed be a tragedy if Shanghai' eventually became ringed with factories, Already the ait is laden with smoke and fumes carried across Shanghai when the wind is in the appropriate. direction, From the southwest and west fresh air can be brought to the city by the breezes, but if encirclement is completed that will no longer be possible, and the already questionable atmosphere of Shanghai be subjected to continual pollution, apparent, therefore, that, apart irom the general rule that properties' purchased under certain safeguards ax the zoning regulations of the Great Municipality of Shanghai, should receive the protection which those rules intended to ive, considerations of public health should weigh in the minds of those having control over the area, and persuade them to prevent this present development in the western district, 'The Chinese Zoning' Regulations forbade the establishment of factories in the aren bounded by Yuyuen Road, Keswick Road and Hungjao Road, and a glance at the map show the reasonableness of the prohibition. That area is, of course, outside the boundaries of.the International Settlement, and while the Municipal Council has control over the roads, the spaces between them were under the control of the Greater' Municipality of Shanghai. 'That organism has now disappeared, and in its place the Ta Tao Government has' commenced to function, It generally recognized doctrine that, when one Yovernment succeeds another, it will continue to retain in its policies all that was ood in the policies of its predecessor; that necessary for the continuity of adminis tration, for chaos would soon result if each sticceeding government threw overboard all that had been decided upon by that which preceded it, "Tt is argued with considerable force that the Zoning Regulations referred to are excellen}. Not only that, by their enactment they placed a moral obligation upon whatever organism succeeded the Municipality of Greater Shanyhai to continue them, not only because of the necessity of maintaining the continuity of good government, but because the existence of those ions induced inhabitants of Shang! to invest in properties in the area concerned upon which they have built residences which they naturally expected to be allowed to enjoy in peace and comfort. That is a most important point, for it involves the yood faith of the Ta Tao Government and whatever influence there is behind it, This journal does not believe for one moment that at present any question of bad faith arises, Tt is, and so is the generality of public opinion willing to. believe that, in this peried of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.