The Early Curfew Hour To the Editor of the "Nownut-Elsa Datty News!"
Stu—With the approach of warmer weather, the desirability of reaching an agreement on the status of Muni= cipal roads to the west of Shanghai becoming more apparent, Omeially, this district fs open for residence; and indeed some sixty foreigners have moved back to their homes and are enjoying clean, fresh alr, flowering gardens, "and" no inconvenience except the extraordinarily early cur few. I have been living on Hungjao Road now for some time and have trouble at all. T have personally found the sentries courteous and always responsive to a friendly word. I by any chance unruliness has oc~ curred—though I have not noticed any myself—it can only be because the soldiers, in an area which merely, contains private houses and market' gardens, have nothing whatever to do.
However, the presence of armed forees and the continuance of martial Jaw cannot possibly make for peace~ able development; while the fact that entrance and exit are barred at 6 Pam. fs enough to prevent many for~ fers from returning. The loss to purely' private interests is therefore considerable Surely if a sufficient number of residents kept saying "These are Municipal roads and these are qur homes" the authorities con~ cerned would not delay in permitting the pleasantest and least sinister section of Shanghai to resume its state of quiet fertility, Shanghai, April 12
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.