Lighters landing cargo, on jetties in Hongkew or Soochow Creek without payment are attacked by organized gangs of wharf loafers who occupy the whole jetty front, and the ships, together with their cargoes, are Femoved elsewhere. Pontoons on the Bund, however, have so far been comparatively free from the activities of this organization, The squeeze demanded amounts to fas much as 10 cents or more for each bag of rice or bale of cotton transported, although a flat rate of $5 per boat, regardless of the amount of argo on board, is accepted. Shippers inform the headquarters of the oranization in the hotel of their movements, and pay in advance to save themselves from interference.
The big Chinese shipping hongs, who undertake to ship any kind of hoods from place to place along the river, contract small independent boatmen to actually transport the woods, 'They pay the squeeze for the boatmen, and in turn add it on to their regular bills under some false title, such as "extra coolie Tire.'
Under the central organization there are a number of different gangs, each dealing with a certain type of cargo. So well is the racket organized that they never encroach on each other, They have, apparent Jy, an excellent system of obtaining information, knowing every detail of the types.of cargoes on the different Missions to Seamen Thanks Subscribers Shanghai, Apr. 13.
The Missions to Seamen in Shang-hal will be without the Canton Road headquarters as these were given up toward the end of March, according to the Chaplin's report which will be Presented at the 49th annual meeting Of subscribers of the Mission which Will be held at 81 Peking Road on April 22, at 530 p.m Afler referring to the reduction in the volume of naval and merchant shipping visiting the port in 1039, which led the committee to decide to close the Canton Mond centre the Committee's report recorded a further curtailment in the number of yeomen who visited the port in 1940, number of merchant ships, how-exer, maintained 9 regular service to the "port during the summer and early autumn and every effort was made to take care of them. Mr. and Mrs. Weaver kept open house for them in the flat on Peking Road into which they moved early in the year For which thanks are due to Messrs. Jardine Matheson & Ca., and in Oct ber last, a sulla of rooms on the ground floor immediately below the chaplin's residential fat, was offer the Mission as institute premises. These were "completely "redecorated and gecupled on November The new premises, it as stated, provided a delightful contre for the work of the Mission among seamen, Dut the number of British seamen visiting the "port during - recent months has been comparatively small.
number of Danish and Norwegian Seamen who are stranded here are making uso of the Institute, The committee, however, has decided to maintain the premises for the time being hoping that British shipping in the future will return to Shanghai, Friends and subscribers are thanked for their generous past support and donations can now' be sent to the Hon, Treasurer, the Missions to Se: men at 83 Peking Toad.
Operating for Over One Year The organization has been operat ing successfully for over one. year, although from. the outbreak of 1037 hostilities until 1990 i, had worked ina smaller way. Conditions on the river however, went from bad to worse during 1040, little or no con~ trol being exercised, with the result that the racketeers were able to widen their activities until now prae-Meally every cargo handled by Chinese shippers along the Whangpoo River and Soochow Creek is interter~ ed. with, The waterfront gangs are believed to work in collaboration with cer tin Chinese Police constables of the SMP, and Chinese members of the River Police, who take their share of the squeeze in return for turning a blind eye to the criminal activities of the gang. OMelals of the SMP. ave making evens effort to stamp out the corruption among the Chinese constables on duty along the waterfront, with quite considerable success. It is extremely difeult to detect persons engaged in the racket, however, Foreign lighters have. not "been bothered so far, although threats have been received by foreign wharf companies in Shanghai and Pootung.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.