Shanghai, Apr. 19.
I. T. Yuan, a former Chinese member of the Shanghai Municipal Council who, has just been nominated by the pro-'Chungking group of Chinese ratepayers i the Settlement as one of the four Chinese councillors for the 1941-1942 period, is being detained in the Astor House Hotel, having been forced to side with the pro-Nanking group of Chinese ratepayers, according to the "Chinese American Daily News" and another leading Chinese daily in Shanghai in sympathy with Chungking. Judging from the various reports, it would appear that Mr. Yuan is in a very awkward position, with the pro-Nanking group trying its best to win him over.
'The pro-Nanking group of Chinese ratepayers is doing its utmost to control the whole situation, it being admitted by both groups now' that Mr. Chen Chee-chen, chairman of the Nanking group, has seen Mr, G. Phillips and Mr," W. J. Keswick, 'The ratepayers of the new regime have been going on with their work as if the old Chinese Ratepayers 'Association (whose chairman and vice-chairman are all absent from the lly) is non-existent, While the Chungking group has' nominated four councillors, namely, " Messrs, IT, Yuan, Yulin Hsi, William Gockson and Chen Ting-rib, the Nanking group also wants the frst named two persons to side with Nanking being satisfied with nominat~ ing only two "pocket men" instead of four.
Political Footballs"
The question at issue now is wh ther or not Messrs, Yuan and Hai can represent both sides on the Provisional Council being organized for the Seltlement, They become political footballs and fight Is still on, It is interesting well as important to watch for fur-thet developments, for it will decide whether the four Council seats Tiotted to the Chinese will entirely go fo Nanking as the trend of indicates, So far, the he prediction made by this journal time ago that the new Counc! Wil have two pro-Chungking and two pro-Nanking Chinese councillors. has come true, The position now that while Nanking is. trying to retain the services of, the two coun~ lllors nominated by.the Chungking group, the Tatler has so far bec tunable to force an issue so that things wilt go their way, The Chungking group, through their press, alleges that all officials recently elected by Nanking cannot be considered as such because Nan King has never been able {0 convene
them, 'The Chungking group rec 'General Assembly to, det Tecelected the five former Chinese members of the Council, nding Mr, Vu Yaeching "by' cor Fespondence," among 42-members: tthe "General "Asem, but In Order to meet the changed situation, Chungking, left out Mr, Vu in the councifiors' list, At a recent mect~ ing. held by Nanking, Mr, Vu was lected as chairman ofts ratepayers association, If the old group of ratepayers is disqualified, why, is: It that the Nanking: group has elected Mr, Vu as chairman, the Chungking press asks?
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.