The necessary staff is on the spot, instructed and prepared to take action, and it only remains for the other parties, the victims of the alleged extortion,' to carry out their part and effectively ce-operate with the Police by making direct and specific complaints against those by whom they are being victimized. In no other way can effective action be taken and the submission of general complaints through associations is useless, since racketeering is not indulged' in openly and, without the assistance of those victimized, cannot be eliminated, The fact that a number of foreign firms, following the line of least resistance, have entered into contracts with the gang leaders to give protection to their goods, has undoubtedly set an example and encouraged the racketeers to extend their nefarious plans, The statement has been made that when the ordinary wharves were in use the charges were known, while on The Bund pontoons there is no such recognized tariff, Enquiry at a prominent wharf company elicited the information that the handling of cargo is almost always by piece work and that the handling charges are never fixed even in normal times, being governed by the amount of cargo to be handled and the labour available. It is therefore considered that any attempt by the Council to institute a licensing system or to lay down a fixed tariff would result in opposition from the coolies themselves and possibly lead to dislocation of operations and delay in handling cargo wilh resultant serious consequences, particularly in connection with the importation of foodstuffs. In any case, the promulgation of a fixed tariff for handling charges would not prevent racketeering, against which it is presumed the complaints particularly apply. Although it is not known what charges the complainants are paying, the tariff submitted to the Council for investigation by a reputable firm of stevedores is considered reasonable, It is considered that the conditions complained of can only be remedied by the complainants themsel in affording ce-operation and wholehearted support to the Police posted on The Bund jetties for this specific purpose,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.