To the Editor of the "Nonmi-Cutea Dany News"
St~-A local paper reports {hit ince December Ist to date, there have been at least two fires every twenty-four hours. in Nantao,. and that things are pretty rotten and get ting more so."
1 have had some private business that forced me to spend from eight ten hours a day for four days Nontuo, and 1 want to assure you, sir that, although 1 covered "the: greater portion of Nantao. 1 have ever encountered i single fire, It is possible that observers Suy—A letter in your paper to-day, signed by Mr, Danity F. Banouki states that a' report appearing "in another local paper to the effect that there have been since December 1 10 date at least two fires dally in Nanta perhaps exaggerated. Mu, Banouxit bases his conclusion on the fact that hho has visited Nantao four days for about ten hours and never encotntered a single fire. Ho believes that small fires sed by the Japanese military to keep warm have been constricd to be large fires. But, Kindly note, Mr, Barouat does not definitely show the other report inaccurate.
In the event anyone may be in-forested, T can state with certainty that the report in the local paper is absolutely correct, to wit, that there have been at least tio major fires in Nantao every 24 hours sine Decom-1. Perhaps' they are fires (o keep the military warm, but T have never known Dulidings to be burned down {to keep soldiers warm. Perhaps this new introduction. These fires can be seen at varying hours, by day and by night, and are no small affairs, I say ""with certainty". as 1 am in a position to observe Nantao carefully for almost 18 hours every day, and 1 have done so over a long period. In other words, Mr. Banouku's statement in itself may be corred, but it is also true that tres Nantao burn to this day.
Shanghai, Jan, 23,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.