March 23, British Shanghailanders' fretting nostalgia has been fragrantly soothed by the free and frank con fessions vouchsafed by their coun trymen in the municipal election campaign. Those who feared that, fon the mud fat here, British characteristics would be blunted of transmogrified through interna ional contacts must be pleasantly reassured. The atmosphere of Little Boreton-on-the-Mush, at the time of the annual election to the Urban District Council, has been delightfully recaptured' nine thousand miles away. The amazing audacity of "self-styled leaders", the shameful autocracy of "vested interests," the magnificent fearless ness of "independent candidates" Jand the superior wisdom of the anonymous mentor who smells rats in every municipal drain and discovers mares' nests and skeletons beautifully jumbled together every municipal—cupboard—they have all received appropriate notes Jof exclamation, indignation and applause, as the fancy dictated. As a background to this political pantomime, there has been a perfunctory statement of actualities, in lorder io preserve a semblance' of respect for those doubtless dull, lout worthy folk, who perversely insist on proceeding by rules of logic and other pedestrian modes of conduct. This salute to reason has been loftily ignored by the chief acrobats in their daring' gyrations Jon the fying trapeze. The veracious chronicles of Little [Boreton-on-the-Mush can produce {few finer examples of invigorating irrelevancy than have emerged from the considered pronouncements which have adorned this municipal election and added to ithe gaiety of a depressed Shanghai Let it at once be admitted that Little Boreton-on-the-Mush will probably object to this comparison it ever reads it. For that admirable pillar of British freedom, the "Boreton Guardian", still recalls the controversy over ' the Town Pump as a political landmark of national importance in the history of the town. The facts may not be familiar to residents of Shanghai tthe strain of the present election here is not too exhausting, perhaps they may be briefly outlined. The Town Pump had stood—a little bedraggled in the effori—tor over 150 years, "come last Michaelmas". The Urban District Council had a brand-new water supply. The Council decided to remove the Pump since its handle had been broken and it was chiefly used for supporting the tired back of Gaffer Brown, a notability in polities with which he mingled practical, if at times, excessive support of the Licensed Victuallers' trade. The '"Boreton Guardian", with the Jnocence of a progressive newspaper, calmly recognized the redundaney of maintaining a fitfully productive Town Pump side by side with a modern water-supply, especially since the Fire Brigade, at considerable expense (£15 to be exact) had adapted its hose to the new-fangled hydrants. The "Bore-ton Guardian" reckoned without its host. Its correspondence columns [were immediately flooded by het fed protests which dealt with the subject faithfully, it discursively from every possible point of view In vain did the devoted journal endeavour to keep to prose. Its correspondents preferred poetry. And poetry, as everyone knows, enables fantasy and froth to find Atting figments to obscure what-fever fact there may be floating in the air. So all that week the noise fof battle rolled. But the issue iwas settled by no journalistic feat, The Post OMice van did it—a fine motor-van which had just replaced 4 superannuated horse-drawn cart, Impertectly aware of the pecul les of the approach to the Market Place, the driver had misjudged his speed and, late at night, had charged the Town Pump without damaging even his radiator, There in the morning lay the Town Pump with the Urban District Council's problem solved and the "Boreton Guardian" forced to turn to the coming Flower Show for editorial inspiration, Obviously that homeric incident cannot be readily matched elsewhere. Yet mention of it may help to remind British Shanghailanders of emotions which they thought had'been forgotten, They wil the more readily admire the turn of Ehrase, the fecundity of epithet and the faultless inconsequence which they have been treated in the course of the present week. If asked whether they felt that, this cosmopolitan atmosphere, their countrymen had lost some of those qualities which had made them what they were, they would proudly point to the gallantry of the Knights Errant who have tilted in this municipal tournament, They would argue, with every show of Feason, that men who could expend Js0 much eloquence in belabouring Imaginary bogeys without ever, by fany chance, discovering the point, fully deserved to be ranged beside the inhabitants of Little Boretonon-the-Mush. What greater reward could be given? What more soothing balm could be applied to homesick souls? So, let the pageant proceed. On Tuesday next, the tumult and the shouting will die away. British Shanghailanders will return to the irksome task of coping with the depression, and will, perforce, resume their wonted ce-operation in the international life of this City. They will have enjoyed a pleasant interlude which has temporarily brought back to them old-time memories of trim hedgerows, intimately huddled houses along wavering High Streets and the calm assurance of the Perky chimney-pots. And as for the disputants themselves, they will probably agree that a really good time has been had by all. What the returning officers may say is another matter. In any event their opinion is not wanted just
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.