Commenting on the nomination of five Japanese for seats in the Shanghai Municipal Council, the Japanese Embassy spokesman said yesterday that the Japanese community in Shanghai did not intend to follow in the path of previous elections and seek a permanent Japanese majority in the Council, thereby repeating the "present dictatorship of a certain national group," but it was considered, if possible in the future, to give one seat to some minority group in the International Settlement. At present, however, they would endea-your to break the dictatorial hold exercised by one national group.
There had been much discussion due to the fact that the Japanese had nominated five candidates, said the spokesman, but considering that there were more Japanese ratepayers in the International Settlement than British and that the British, in spite of smaller numbers, had nominated five candidates, it was only natural that the Japanese should have nominated five. This step was the outcome of the desire of the Japanese to achieve reform of the administration in keeping with the times, in a lawful and logical manner. The argument advanced by a certain séttion of the British Community that because of the greater British interests in the Settlement they should have a greater voice runs counter to the times, The day when a man voted because of his property has gone; the individual should be recognized regardless of property.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.