Oct. 23.
Of the gravity of the situation in the area between the boundary of the International Settlement, and the Railway there cannot be the slightest doubt after the shooting affrays of Friday evening, and yesterday morning, and it is to be noted with considerable regret that the position is in great danger of rapidly deteriorating. These two incidents add to the long list of outrages which have occurred since the areas served by the outside roads have become a veritable alsatia of rogues and criminals, and an absolutely intolerable state of affairs has been brought about. It is not of particular importance at this juncture to seck " to establish the guilt of any one party, or a1 other for what happened on Friday, and yesterday. Denials have been made by the Special Municipality of Shanghai that these outrages have been the work of their own people, and the guilty are variously de~ seribed as bad characters, or even emissaries from Chungking operating to prevent any settlement of the outside roads question, But whoever is responsible the fact still rem: that members of the Shanghai Municipal Police have been attacked following attempts on the part of the police of the Special Municipality to assert control over roads, which have been made, and maintained by the Municipal Council for a very long time past. Nevertheless, until full investigation can be made, it appears advisable to suspend judgment asto who is responsible for these atest outrages, and instead to endeavour to seek some solution of a question which an fond is the cause of the trouble. It has to be admitted at the outset that there is much to be said for both the claimants to jurisdiction over the outside roads, and the urgent need of a settlement which' will bring about complete and effective control of the outside roads, and the areas they serve is emphasized by such occurrences as have hapened this weekend. operation without which the condition of the whole of Shanghai,—and not only the Inter~ national Settlement,—must go from bad to worse. Obviously this is a matter which should be settled on the spot, and were the Japanese Consul-General to' use his good offices in bringing the parties to this unfortunate dispute together, there is no reason, given good faith on both sides, why this vexed question sould not be finally disposed of. If it is not, the danger of widespread criminality will become all the more acute. Past months have shown the risks which all sections of Shanghai run by the existence of criminal gangs, which, it appears, can operate with comparative "immunity in all parts of Shanghai, with the bad-lands as a refuge over which no one seems to exercise adequate, and efficient authority. That that immunity is encouraging them to ever wilder exploits is only too apparent, and all sections of Shanghai, whether foreign or not, owe it to themselves to sec that this anomaly ous state of affairs is brought to an end and that the malefactors, responsible for the appalling degree of crime which has been reached, shall have a period pnt to their activities. Consequently if assistance is available towards achieving that end, and it is believed that it is, there can' be no reason for not asking for it, especially when it is thought it will be readily granted.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.