At a meeting of the British Election Committee held on March 19, 1937, the question arose whether candidates for the "Straw Vote" should be requested to undertake to accept the results, An extract from the minutes of that date reads:
"It was considered that the pledge in the Nomination Papers, signed by each Candidate for the w Vote.' the Second paragraph of which read:—"Should the result show my name to be amongst the five Candidates heading the Poll, I agree to stand for the Municipal Elections to be held on April 5 and 6." could only be interpreted as meaning that' each Candidate, including those who were unsuccessful, agreed to abide by the result of the 'Straw Vote'."
The 1939 Committee reaffirmed that the "Straw Vote" was the only logical procedure for selecting the British candidates.
There was no election in 1939 so that the machinery for organizing the British vote remained in abeyance. The increasing gravity of the local situation, and that in China generally, led to the re-constitution of the British Election Committee in the latter part of the year. It decided to follow the same procedure as in previous years, and this was what was done in the recent "Straw Vote." All qualified British Ratepayers were circularized with a view to securing nominations, and Messrs, E S, Wilkinson and I. E.
Roberts kindly agreed to act as That, in brief, is the history of the British Election Committee. I should only like to add that if its efforts Yesult in attaining the objects for which it has been working, at this election, most of the credit will go to its Chairman Mr. H. E. Arnhold, who has. devoted most of his time to its interests for the past two months, The report and accounts were adopted on the motion of Mr. Woodhead, seconded by Mr. J. R. Jones.
The meeting concluded with the election of the new Committee as Messrs, J. R. Jones, Mr. F.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.