tension which prev: lied in Hongker Shanghai, Nov. 18. on Saturday following the shooting of a Japanese sergeant-major continued yesterday, passage into Hongkew being restricted only through the Garden Bridge and Chapoo Road Bridg in the latter vehicular traffic was not permitted, while barbed-wire barr aces and sentries rendered North Szechuen Road Bridge inaccessible to traffic and pedestrians. Egress from Hongkew through this bridge was permitted in the afternoon, It was learned that a number of prominent Chinese officials and adherents to the Chungking Government have been preparing to evacuate the French h Concession following the taking over of the Second Special Distri Court by officials of the Nanig regime.
Conditions north of the Creek were not alleviated to any appreciable extent yesterday except for the fnbandonment by the Japanese authorities of the searching of pedestrians Which was in rigorous force Saturday. Japanese blue-jackets, however, did mot relax their surveilone over' Hongkew and patrols were sentteved at. various sections throughout ihe entire area, over of certain bank premises by the Japanese military authorities, the French Concession, especially.' the Avenue Joffre district, came to be looked upon as the safest locality. The taking over of the courts and other local political developments fol-Towing in the woke of the world situation, recently left considerable doubts in the minds of Chinese bank ing and other oMciais regarding the security of their new locations.
TraMie Disrupted check-up yesterday disclosed lat the. abnormal conditions prevalling on Saturday were far more serlous than at first thought, TyaMe and passage were suspended on the North Szechuien Road and Chapoo Road Bridges and bus services along the Hongkew Nos. 8 and 9 routes were disrupted. On the former the buses were maintained only up to Haining. Road and on. the latter, the buses only. ran up to a point near Range Rond,, Bus passengers und pedeste ans. in Hongkew and other areas north of the Creek were put to far reater Inconvenience than people hogotiating the bridges from the Sct-Moment side, Unaware of the reatrletions Imposed, many bus pas sengers from Honjtkew. after alight ing proceeded along North Szechuen Road or Chapoo Road where they had to line up.in a long queue from Saturday afternoon up {0 about 10, pam, when some Japanese and for~ thiners were allowed to get through.
Persons who were unfortunate! enough to got near the queue were not allowed to leave and hed to walt long hours ju the cold before Being allowed to proceed. Many Japanese, including a number of eildren, sre also incommoded in the same manner. One of the unfortunate pointed out to a reporter of the *North-China Daily News" that the long hours Ne spent at what he termed the "barriers," were remind cent of the barriers put up at the two extremities to the French and British Concessions in. Tientsin two years ago when persons were known to have had (o be lined up for as long a8 36 hours before being Jowed access to or egress from the foreign-occupied areas,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.