A check-up yesterday disclosed that the abnormal conditions prevailing on Saturday were far more serious than at Grst thought. Traffic and passage were suspended on the North Szechuen Road and Chapoo Road Bridges and bus services along the Hongkew. Nos. 8 and 9 routes were disrupted. On the former the buses were maintained only up to Haining Road-and on the latter, the buses only ran up to a point near Range Road. Bus passengers and pedestrians in Hongkew and other areas north of the Creek were put to far greater inconvenience than people negotiating the bridges from the Settlement side. Unaware of the restrictions imposed, many bus passengers from Hongkew, after alighting proceeded along North Szechuen Road or Chapoo Road where they had to line up in a long queue from Saturday afternoon up to about 10 pum. when some Japanese and foreigners were allowed to get through.
Persons who were unfortunate enough to get near the queue were not allowed to leave and had to wait long hours in the cold before being allowed to proceed. Many Japanese, including a number of chilren, were also incommoded in the same manner. One of the unfortunate pointed out to a reporter of the "NorthChina Daily News" that the long hours he spent at what he termed the "barriers," were reminiscent of the barriers put up at the two extremities to the French and British Concessions in Tientsin two mention the number of Chungking Government officials and others who sought sanctuary in regions in the French Concession remotest from the sphere of Japanese influence.
The Settlement Bund which long ego was regarded by these Chinese as untenable following the taking over of certain bank premises by the Japanese military authorities, the Concession, especially the Avenue Joffre district, came to be looked upon as the safest locality. The taking over of the courts and other local political developments following in the wake of the world situation, recently left considerable doubts in the minds of Chinese benking and other officials regarding the security of their new locations,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.