"It is up to the Foreign Powers to begin negotiations with the least possible delay and I for one would strongly advocate that the status of the Municipal Council be more clearly defined," said Mr. L. E. Canning. chairman, at the annual general meeting of shareholders of the Shanghai Gas Ca. Ltd, held at 3 pin. yesterday at 121 Peking Road. Mr Canning suggested that "it must be insisted on that a clear neutral zone around the borders of the Settlement be established if we are to avoid repetitions of war as we experienced in 1932 and again last year."
Present at the meeting were Mr. Canning, Mr. H. Kadoorie and Mr. R. M. Joseph, directors; Mr. W. J Baker, engineer-in-chief and mani ger; Mr. J. K. Simpson, deputy engineer; Mr. R. W. Edwards, secretary, and Messrs. R. A. Berthet, King Ching Chao, A. E. Lawrence and F. J. W. Focken, representing in all 337,065 shares.
Canning said:—The year 1937 has been one ur paralleled in the history of any country and of any company from the point of view of carrying on under every adverse condition. Before I deal with any other matter I am at the outset going to pay a tri bute to the staff, and, gentlemen, on your behalf and that of the con-mers, I am going to publicly thank our staff for their loyal and unswet ving sense of duty in "standing by" under conditions which no one but the "old. soldier" has ever experi-strongly advocate that the status of the Municipal Council be more clearly defined and their powers strengthened and it must be insisted on that a clear neutral zone around the borders of the Settlement be established if we are to avoid repetitions of war as we experienced in 1932 and again last year, with the appalling loss of life and wanton damage property The "status quo ante" of the International Settlement is urged: it is as important to the Japanese as the Chinese and all nationals represented in Shanghai; delay causes misgiving and at the moment delay is handicapping honesty of purpose in pilitation. Remove restrictions. I may add seemingly unnecessary frictions, and restore confidence te shaken community, and then we shal!
train something worthwhile of this ye y great centre of trade
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.