A deficit of $37,316 was reported at the annual meeting of the Pullers' Mutual Aid Association which was held on Thursday, one of the reasons contributing to the increase in the deficit being the fact that local hostilities last year had cost the Association over $1,588 in the Chapei centre and $641 in the Nantao centre when all the office furniture and equipment in these two places were destroyed as a result of the fighting.
Dr. D. S. Chen was elected Chairman and Mr. P. W. Massey presented the financial statement. Attending the meeting were three trustees, and nine newly elected members of the board of management. Mr. Massey, a pioneer of the rickshaw welfare movement was elected chairman of the trustees for the ensuing year.
The meeting discussed the question of negotiating with the Shanghai Municipal Council to recover the normal grant of $1.50; During the discussion it was stated that the Council had made no contribution to the Association in September and October last and only one-third (fifty cents per rickshaw) had been paid in November. Two-thirds (one dollar per rickshaw) it was stated, had been paid after December 1937.
The balance sheet showed that $500 had been advanced to rickshaw pullers for petty trade while the S.M.C. grant in respect of rickshaw licences had been $94,758.50. Expenditure had included $9,872.92, for salaries and wages, $7,689.29 for rice, $456.22 for tea urns For relief $943285 funeral expenses, d
work the salaries and wages had been $4,992.60 and for educational work, $6,487.39.
A total of $60,375,31 had been expended on clinics, hospitalization, medical supplies and hospital food, while depreciation on furniture and equipment was $3,120.91. The accounts were passed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.