The "Japan Times" generally regarded as an authoritative journal in Japan has an interesting editorial on the subject of the report recently issued by the Industrial Section of the Shanghai Municipal Council, in the course of which it says The damage caused by military operations and subsequent developments had made Shanghai residents and foreign observers fear that the famous international city in Central China would never regain its former prosperity and activity. During the early days of the Incident, the devastation caused by gun fire and the suspension of various activities, both administrative and economic, ruined all business.
Yet even then, there were some optimists who thought that Shanghai would become a greater and busier business centre when peace and order were finally brought back in China under a new regime of Government, Foreign residents in Shanghai, however, were quite skeptical about the future of the city.
Now the quarterly report of the Industrial Section of the Shanghai Municipal Council records a great revival in various industries in the western district of the International Settlement and the western outside road area, quite contrary to the frequent earlier pessimistic views. The news of such a revival has not only lightened the hearts of those interested in Shanghai and China but also foretells of a great prosperous future for the International Settlement and the City......
This report of the Industrial Section of the Shanghai Municipal Council, based on actual investigations, eloquently indicates that not only the condition in Shanghai is returning to normalcy, but also there is a great prospect of its future expansion.
The journal's conclusion that Shanghai is returning to normality is not in fact justified. What the report does indicate is the immense vitality of the place which will not be suppressed by the conditions which continue to be imposed upon it, and the prospect that, were existing totally unnecessary restrictions removed, Shanghai would speedily set about the enormous task of rehabilitation. The editorial writer draws a very pleasant conclusion when he writes "The recovery of Shanghai will not only benefit all the foreigners there but it will bring greater prosperity and happiness to the Chinese masses" With regard to the former, conditions locally suggest that that is the very last thing the Japanese desire, while the amount of happiness they have been inflicting upon the Chinese during the past fifteen months suggests they are not particularly impressed with the necessity of bringing about a more fortunate condition.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.