The further incident in Jessfeld Road on Monday, when gangsters fighting amongst themselves injured three innocent bystanders, continues to draw attention to the lawlessness prevailing in the area outside Settlement limits, but within the defence perimeter. It is tte of affairs which reflects not the slightest credit upon the Ta Tao Government, and in fact considerably diminishes whatever prestige it may be considered to have. If gangsters wish to fight between themselves that is entirely their affair, but when their actions imperil Deople in no way connected with them, when they endanger the lives of law-abiding citizens an entirely different set of considerations must apply. The impression is created, by the laxity of the Ta Tao Government in this matter, that the maintenance of law and order i the last thing which is desired by the responsible authorities. It may be a wrong one, but wp to the present there is no indication that they are taking any steps to put down the crime and disorder which prevails Indeed it was the foreign authorities with the cognizance of the gendarmerie which cleaned up the Fah Hwa village. One of the first steps which should be taken is the closing of illicit gamble ing houses which attract the attention of Shanghai's underworld. There is not the slightest evidence to show that these houses are being run on honest lines, but every reason to believe that the whole business is as crooked as the crooks running them. Their existence on the outskirts of the International Settlement 4s producing conditions every bit as bad, if not worse than those which prevailed some eleven or twelve years- ago, when similar "joints" were to be found in Chinese territory, ard which owed their continued existence to the payment of squeeze to the heads of the various police districts. No government in the Chinese areas can command any respect so long as malpractices of this sort continue. A removal of these gambling hells would be looked upon today as the first step towards the establishment of law and order. If the municipality of Greater Shanghai is so hard put to it for funds that it has to depend upon Revenue from such institutions as these, it is indeed in a bad way. But even that is no excuse. Ordinary, good administration insists upon the suppression of vices such as these dens cater to, and if for municipal purposes it is necessary to raise money in this way common honesty requires that these places should be properly licenced, and their customers fully protected against the thieves who molest them. It is true that such a step would call forth considerable criticism, but it would, at least, be honest.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.