To the Editor of the "Nonti-Cutxa Datty News"
Sij—Having narrowly escaped being ran down by a motor cycle ridden by a Japanese "in uniform, who disregarded the red signal at the junction of the Bund and Nanking Road under cover of which I was attempting to cross the road, T have been endeavouring to analyse the Psychology of such men. If this were one of a few such incidents ho one would worry much about It, Dut unfortunately they are of almost daily occurrence, Motor vehicles of other units of the Shanghai Defence Force are constantly on the rot their drivers pay heed to the trame signals and courteously allow a peestrian crossing the road to pass safely before putting on speed. Not s0 the Japanese, who in days which now seem long ago were considered. some of the most courteous people the world, but now are conspleuous by their niter disregard of the rules of courtesy and trame, What makes them such bad drivers? Why should they ignore a red light when all the rest of the world obeys it? T have been puzzling over this question and wonder if the Japanese attitude to trame rules has the same [basis as their penchant for iltreat= ing Chinese peasants while asserting that they are their friends, But if that is nog considered ani explanation of their' otherwise me explicable disregard of trame restric. tions, Tecan only imagine that Japanese drivers are perhaps, (a) colour blind, (b) undisciplined, or lacking in courtesy, Which is it? If they are colour blind, it is strange that this has not already been detected by their own commanders, Perhaps they have not thought of it and this suggestion may cause investigation to be made,_ so that drivers "who understand "the difference between red and green, Ughts may be placed in charge of the vehicles, 'What a difference i would make to the community if the Japanese military authorities could "arrange that all drivers should" possess a colour sense, should understand disjelpline. and' above all should learn to obey the rules of courtesy.
1 apologize for the length of this Jotter, but as you will understand narrowly escaping death at the hands of a Japanese driver is no joke for PEDESTRIAN.
Shanghai, May 13.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.