hal Munfeipal Council has issued an interesting comment "on the apparent reluctance lof Shanghai housewives to buy the family loaf, containing 80 per cent. Chinese flour and 20 [per cent. imported flour, at the cost of 38 cents pound against loaves' costing 60 or 65 cents pound. This loot can be recommended to all families who are finding it dificult to make ends meet in the present season of high prices. The IS.MLC. remark that it Is perhaps true that the bread. is not so attractive in colour and light-hess as more expensive bread, but they emphasize that it is certainly no bread which Janyone need feel ashamed of having on their table, The hope is expressed that this effort of the authorities and the bakeries will receive the support from the public it deserves. Whats ever else It may have suffered from shortages and high prices, Shanghai tas not to endure the rationing system which' is at present in {foree in Europe, and for those who have to ook at every cent that Is spent—and they are many in this clty—it seems strange that this leheap variety of the "staff of life Is. being ignored. In other spheres the Council Price Investigation OMe Is doing good work. The Fecent regulation on the display of prices in fall shops and market stalls has not been well Received by the food dealers concerned, and there have been a number of prosecutions result, During the last fortnight no fewer than, twenty-seven food dealers were fined for failure to comply. The fines were in some cases $8 and in others $7. In the meantime Investigations have been made by. the SAC. into the prices of other commodities, but these have necessarily. been complicated and. widespread, and no" general conclusions have been arrived at, It should, however, be a warning to possible profiteers that such an investigation is being made, and the public may. benefit indiveetly as a result.
Attack on Mr. Abend to be hoped that the Japanese authorities will thoroughly investigate' the entry of two, masked Japanese into the apartment of Mr. Ballet Abend, well known correspondent of the New York "Times" about midnight on Friday~ Saturday, and do their utmost' to bring. the perpetrators of this thoroughly unwarrantable crime to justice. For, put in the most moderate terms, what was committed was the offence of armed robbery, with It must be admitted more than a litre ofa political tinge, Mr. Abend has undoubtedly "at times been highly' critical of Japanese policy in the Far East, but it can be safely said that neither he, nor the great journal which he represents has at any time been (alr. 'There is certainly nothing which this journalist has done which could. in any: way ing have invited the attentions of men, who, how ever correct they may have thought' their behaviour, are no more than common thugs ranking as no better than any other persons Who seck to steal goods by force of arns. the evidence it does not appear that the actions of these two men were in any' Way Inspired by japanese authority. for it that had been the tease there would not have been any need for them to have sought to hide their identity the manner they did, At the same time. the fact that they "were in search of anything critical of the Japanese which Mr. Abend may have written injects polities into the affair a. way which cannot entirely be discounted. The American authorities, it is understood, will make strong representations to. the Japanese authorities ow the matter, and in doing so they will have every possible justiNeation. IN is un~ fortunate that, amongst other things, the two culprits should have demanded production of telegrams alleged to have attacked Generat Miura, sis Indicating that they had some. ides fof further material of which they" were in Search. "Mr. Abend declared that he had no such messages, but—not content with this, the intruders searched his files to make sure for themselves. In the circumstances It is t0 be hoped that the Japanese authorities will pay' the greatest attention to whatever representation: the: American authorities may make of the ject, and bring the miscreants to justice The events of the last few days indicate that conditions may "arise which might. beeonte Utterly intolerable, and it is definitely the duty fof the Japanese authorities to handle their own bad characters with the firma of hands, Dress at home ironically described the encountfor asa "boat race" which was won by. Itty, hose ships. scuttled home so swiftly that [Signor Mussolini must have congratulated him self on the fact that in most of Taly's warships, speed is the main factor. Ayainst the cruiser Sydney of His Majesty's Royal Australian Navy, however, speed was not enough to stave off defeat for the light cruiser Bartolenieo Colleons which reesived "crippling hits from. well-laid guns on the Australian vessel and was finished 'Off by speedy British destroyers, If, a8 Moly' part in the forthcoming offensive, the italian fect is to venture forth to give battle British fleet which has been waiting for this moment since Moly entered the war, there not be-much doubt about the result of such a encounter in view of the splendid work of t British Navy since September 3, 1939, As lon fas the British Navy controls "Mare Nosteum' Holy's forces in "Africa are out off from the homeland, except by air, and should prove to be no more than a slight menace fora few months to the Empire troops gathered in that region. The position of Gibraltar is safe as long 'a5 Spain stays neutral and, despite Axis efforts fo turn Gen. Franco to Germany's and Maly's side, there appears to be more probable that country which has only recently ended a terrible civil war, will remain outside the present conflict, Ialian troops, of course, may cree the German divisions if the' inves England is attempted and Italian planes appear over the Channel. Nevertheless the fact remains that Italy, except as a nuulsanee element fin the Mediterranean, can be of little help to Germany "at the moment,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.