In a determined effort to stamp out the loafer plague on the Bund numerous police parties have been active since December 4, rounding up men, women and children who derive their "livelihood by stealing lose cotton, rice and coal to the detriment of ailbpers, and merchants 50 loafers were thus brought before the First Special District Court yesterday and each was given sentence of three days detention. Yesterday, police parties under Me spectors F. V. Collison and J. Watson rounded up an additional up to 5 pin, and' it was presumed that many more would be sent court before the present round-up ix concluded, As will be recalled, these lonfers have given constant work. (0. the Police ever since the commencement of local hostilities when much of the Yoading and unloading of coastal and iver steamers was confined to the Bund. The lealers in question usual ly are well organized and dispose of their loot to fences who pay them very low prices. The racketeers have Perfected their trade to such an ex: ent that special instruments have been elaborated which are used for piercing rice-bags and which permit the filling of a smaller bag in a mat ter of seconds, Children usually confine their tivities to running behind cotton-laden, trucks and to grab as much as they can of this commodity. Subsequent the loot is pooled and disposed of within a short time.
In the evening hours especially, when rice is being transported from lighters unto lorries, racketeers are busy. Whilst children confine their Activities to collecting the rice that falls on the pavement from" torn bags, the grown-ups, with their Me struments, have done s0 much damage, that several complaints have been received by the police in recent imes, Tt is believed that well over 200 persons will have been arrested before tonight, thus again ridding Shanghai's waterfront of a_nulsance which is but the outcome of prevalling, conditions, Another 50 arrests were made last night the "North-China Daily News" was informed ata late hour, and it {fs understood that the suspects. will be charged with receiving stolen property, loitering, robbery and other counts, During the arrests of the men Several hide-outs, where the looted foods were stored, were discovered and more arrests are expected after the detained suspects have been ques
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.