The Shanghai Municipal Police Department has circulated for information certain rules framed by the Japanese military authorities for the control of admissions to the Hongkew and Yangtszepoo areas. It is being argued that this Circulation in some way commits the Council to endorsement of the regulations in question. That is not correct. For the convenience of the general public who require passes to enter the areas now under Japanese military control, the Police having received a copy of the rules decided to circulate them. They neither gave their authority to the rules nor expressed any opinion on them. They were in fact taking practical action in recognition of the realities of the situation which has deprived them of their legal control of the two districts by reason of the hostilities between China and Japan. The Japanese pretence that Japanese forces there are operating in defence of the Settlement is of course untenable. Nor can the Council be associated with measures to which it cannot offer resistance owing to the pressure of force majeure. If the Council's authority had not been temporarily abrogated by force of arms the control of the areas would be undertaken with equal regard to all communities, whereas the rules issued by the Japanese authorities expressly exclude from their benefit Chinese citizens—a further disproof of the contention that Japanese actions are in defence of the Settlement.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.