Shangha's telephone entanglements have exposed the Shanghai Municipal Council to stern Japanese criticism. The French Municipal Couneil—equally concerned—goes scatheless. This suggests that telephones play the same part of the "Follies": "don't this but come inside" In of words, certain Japanese critics a disposed to use whatever stick is handy to beat the Council dog, and particularly the British part of the og. 'The telephones are some of the grist that comes to those Japanese ritles' mill. Tt all seems a little unnecessary, especially as maintenance of what is alleged to be the Japanese view depends upon a deliberate refusal to. apprise that community of the actual facts relevant to the discussion, Japanese residents would scornfully reject the notion that they should support an agitation which, effect, demanded the Council's repudiation of a legal contract. Nor would those who last April insisted so strongly on the need for an impartial expert. examination of the telephone problem, be otherwise than shocked if the Council had failed to take that emphasis on impartiality Into full account. On the telephone issue it is sufficient to say that the Council, the Company, the Ratepayers Gneluding the Japanese community) and the public generally are the vie-tims of circumstances to which the rigidity of the procedure governing the Ratepayers' Meeting has made a strong contribution. The Council—with the cordial ce-operation of the Telephone Company—ig doing its best to unravel the tangle. It should command discriminating sympathy and support. The delay may be beneficial that it will enable the Company obtain accurate calculations, on the basis. of actual returns, to show the exact financial effect of the pro-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.