The Council's Responsibility To the Editor of the "Nogmi-Crama Datny News"
Sm—Those of us who, before the outbreak of the Shanghai hostilities resided in the Hongkew and Yang~ tszepoo districts within the Settlement boundaries, cannot but feel that we had been betrayed by the Munleial 'The first and paramount duty' of the Shanghai Municipal Council, in times when Its authority "may be challenged or threatened, is to protect the bounds within which it exercises control and performs the functions of government conferred by the Land Regulations, But the Council deliberately. abner gated its powers.
As the "Japanese spokesman has succinctly put it, "the Municipal Council forfeited for a time its rights of administration over the eastern Settlement area when the Shanghai Municipal Police took to its heels on orders from their superiors on August 17. As a consequence, the Japanese Naval Landing Party tem porarily had to assume the authori Following the outbreak of hostilities on August 13, or it may have been even earlier than that, the Council, apparently in consultation with tte military authorities of the Powers which had troops stationed in Shanghai, decided to abandon its Jurisdiction "in the Northern and Eastern Settlement areas, while taking full and complete measures for the protection of the Central and Western' districts.
'We who lived in North Szechuen Road saw with sur~ prise and dismay the Municipal Poli Hines withdraw from the Settlement boundary at Range Road to Haining Road, then to Boone Road, and finally to the south side of the' So" chow. Creek, all within 24 "hous Those who should have received the protection of the Municipal Council were abandoned to their own devices and the implications of a rapidly developing war situation.
'Had the Council adopted a strong stand—the only stand it should taken—to protect all the areas within the defined Settlement limits, and had notified the Chinese and' Japanese Authorities that these boundaries must bbe respected, T am of opinion the Shanghai hostilities could not have developed into the huge military operations that they soon assumed: Certainly the two rich and_po>ulous districts of Hongkew and Yanstsze~ oe would have largely escaped the spoilation and destruction that overtook them, It is quite clear that the Councit failed in its prime duty to protect its citizens, Chinese and foreigners alike, who' resided and/or had their Dusiness in those two districts. and the Council must shoulder the blame for all consequences arising from the disgraceful and inexcusable abne~ gation of its authority.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.