Malaria on Increase Malaria, a disease once unknown in Shainghai, has shown a "well marked increase" according to the report of the Commissioner of Public Health for September. In his reference to this disease in his monthly report, the Commissioner points out there were nearly' twice the number of cases reported last month as there were in the same month of last year in spite of the con-[centration of the efforts of malarial squads on anopheline breeding grounds. Continuing, he points to an important {actor in the develop ment of Shanghai as a cause for this increase, He states: is probable that the tack of cultivation and the Increase of waste land. have encotiraged mosquito breeding in areas surrounding the treat~ ed area, factors which can only be eliminated the course of time. through the progress of reads and the levelling of land which accom panies town development.
[Coincidental with the report of the Commissioner comes the report from Hongkong that American aid had been requested to Aight the problem of malaria in the south-western pro-[vinces of China, especially in Yunnan, Dr. Robert E. Brown, advisor to the Chinese National Health Administration, has arrived in Hongkong with alarming reports of the ravages fof malaria among the labourers employed on {the Burma-Yunnan Highway. Dr. Brown stated that malaria had accounted for a third of the labourers employed on the highway and was so severe as to threaten to the continued operation fof the road, which occupies s0 important a part In China's communications system through the western backdoor." In Shanghai, with the efficient health services at the disposal of the foreign authorities, it is possible to check and control the outbreak once the conditions are known, but in other parts of China, where these preventive services do not operate so ficient and s0 extensively, the problem becomes extremely dificult. Throughout history many huge labour projects have been wrecked or hampered by disease, and not the least signi-Reant of these diseases has been malaria, Sunshades Too Low The complaint of a correspondent about the rate conditions in Avenue Haig and Route de Say-Zoong might well have been supplemented another complaint about the sunshades used by shops in that area particularly, and in many Jother areas in Shanghai as well. in most towns there are regulations which prohibit shades Joutside shop windows from being an inconvenience to pedestrians, and it is believed that similar regulations exist here also, The diference appears to be that the local regulations fare not enforced. As a result a pedestrian of Javerage height has constantly to bend himself Inearly double to walk under these shades which, if they are not themselves too low, have hang ing from their outer eye flaps of canvas which jin some eases are so long that they would inconvenience a child. The desire of shop own-Jers to prevent their wares from fading under the rays of the sun is appreciated, but surely there are many ways of achieving this purpose without hindering the free tse of the pavement outside the shops by prospective purchasers, [The Chinese are not a short race, and, therefore, suffer the same inconvenience as foreign= fers from his nuisance, and there can, therefore, be no argument that the lowness of these screens is derived from the stature of the peo= ple of this country. It is suggested that' the department concerned, both in the S.M.C. and French Municipal Council, should look Into the matter during the winter months, when adjustments can have the least possible effect upon the shop Keepers. It is a thousand pities that wide and well kept pavements should be -made almost useless by the thoughtlessness of afew merchants, "who virtually" appropriate many [square yards of municipal property into their shops.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.