larger crowds of people using Jessfield Park each year the Shanghai Municipal Council has been confronted with yet another problem—a problem which has caused plenty of additional expense for some time past. While it is pleasant to note that the popularity of the park has increased to such an extent that this year, which is yet in its early stages, 84,900 daily tickets have been sold as against 42,287 during 1938 and 15,573 in 1937, it is not so pleasant to record that the exceptional crowds flocking to the park have afforded several opportunities for many individuals to appropriate various articles of park property, including some valuable plants.
In his report for April, the Commissioner of Public Works revealed that the concealment rendered possible by such large crowds as now use Jessüeld Park had resulted in regular thefts of park property. There had also been a deterioration in the behaviour of visitors, many of whom, emboldened by numbers, and trampled over the flower beds, had dragged park. seats across them and had generally disregarded all park regulations. The immense amount of litter that was being strewn about the park had caused disfigurement and though additional litter baskets had been provided and warnings erected in the hope of checking this habit, the numbers now entering the park daily destroyed any hope of preserving the grass throughout the summer, At the first meeting of the SMC. Works Committee for the season 1939- 40, under the chairmanship of Mr. O. Okamoto, it was decided, in view of the danger of the destruction of the amenities at Jessfield Park, due to its ever increasing popularity, to give consideration to a proposal for a substantial increase in the charge for season tickets to the parks—a proposal that was not supported by The Committee a year ago. Here it is interesting to note that the maximum numbers visiting the park in one day until the end of May during the past five years were: 1935 (on April 21) 17,022; 1936 (on May 17) 19,184; 1987 (on May 29) 19,417; 1938 (on April 17) 17211; end 1939 (on April 30) 36,573.
The Committee, after a lengthy discussion, then decided to adopt the reposal to increase the charge at Jessfield Park and it was accordingly recommended to the Council that, effective from June 1, 1939, the commencement of the new season tickets period, the charge for park season tickets would be $3 per season for admission to all parks and $1 per season for admission to all parks except Jessfield Park. The present charges are $2 per season for admission to all parks, $1 per season for admission to Jessfield Park, and $1 for admission to all other parks.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.