A highly destructive fre swept three houses, 1250-52-54 Avenue Edward VII, on the International Settle-men side, yesterday morning. One of the buildings, housing a cotton shop, was gutted by the flames. The other premises, a small Chinese temple and a tinsmith's shop, were badly damaged. No-one was injured.
The alarm was sounded at 9.38 o'clock and the firemen spent an hour at the scene. Owing to the location a large crowd of Chinese watched the work of extinguishing the flames, and many persons passing in motor-cars and buses also saw the gratulations that the Special Municipality was created at this juncture with a man ff such noble character as Mr. Fu Who has lived here for many years, contributed materially t> public welfare, is well-known in business circles and enjoys the confidence of foreigners as well as Chinese. "I sincerely hope that Mr. Fu will realize his ideals and poli order to bring about the greater and brighter Shanghai as soon as possible."
The "Ta Tao Government" was formed under Japanese auspices last December, taking over the offices and operations*of the former City Covernment of Greater Shanghai, headed by Mayor O. K. Yui With the capture of Nantao at the beginning of last November, the function: of ihe old City Government ere trought to an end, Mayor Yui proceeding down to Canton to join his predecessor in Office, General Wu Te-chen, now Chairman of the Provincial Government of Kwangtung.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.