To the Editor of the "Nontn-Cutwa Dany News"
Sin—Your correspondent COG has done a public service by ventilating in your columns the question of the Gas Company's demand for increased "deposits from its customers, As he rightly points out, no interest allowed on these deposits, and a Simple calculation will show that if all the existing users of gas are to be tapped in this way for additional Heposits, the Gas Company will gucceedd In accumulating a sum of free money running into several millions of dollars, One would like to know whether, in approaching the Council for permission to increase their charges to consumers, the Gas Company took into account the extra potential revenue obtainable from this gratuitous nest-ego, In any ease, the grounds on which this demand for an extra deposit are based would appear to be wholly untenable, In my own case I was asked for an increasd of 180 per centr over my existing deposit on the grounds that my bill for the previous month' had, thanks to the new aura charge,.inéveased by this amount, (IL may' say that this demand immediately found its way to the proper place, namely the waste-paper varkel). My bill for the following month was still higher, by some $10. Do the Gas Company intend, in due course, to ask me for an extra deposit of this amount also? If not, why not? And if it should happen that my bill for any one month should fail below the total deposited with the Company, may T expect to receive a proportionate refund? Again. if not, why not? T venture to suggest that, if the Gas Company propose in future to keep each eust deposit exactly equal to the amount of his monthly bil, it will rapidly become necessary for them to take on considerable" additional staff, Possibly this Is the idea: increased staff will result in higher overheads, these will lead to din application to the Council to increase rates once more, and the Gas Company will then be in a position to ask. for still further deposits from their customers. An incomparable example of the vicious circle, Levity aside, however. surely the only justification for asking for deposit in the frst place is that the, Company may satisfy itself of the bona fides of the consumer, and have a reasonable sum in ' hand in the (surely Infrequent) event of default, To ask for additional deposits at this time is to violate the principles of service which the: ublic has the right to demand from public utility company, Few of us are using more gas in these days: our basle charges remain the same. It is only thanks to the gargantuan surcharge which is levied that our monthly bills are higher. If my gas is Cut off as a result of my refusal to meet this demand for an additional deposit I shall have much pleasure in asking the Gas Company to prove their right to demand it—in 'a British court of law.
Sin—A couple of days ago I was in a factory which produces food~ stuffs of various kinds which are consumed by almost all classes in Shanghai.
While I was walking round 1 heard that peculiar hissing sound which is commonly associated with laundry, men who spray (from their mouths) the garments that they are prepar-Ing to iron. Being of an inquisitive nature T investigated.
Certain of the products of this factory have a glaze on them when Anished. In order to apply the tuid that, produces this glaze a workman taking it into his mouth (from an enamelled mug) and squirting it in a fine cloud over the articles which were in trays before him. Evidently the fluid was considered to be valuable because when he had treated the last tray there remained In his mouth a surplus which he carefully returned to the mug ready for future use.
My only comment on this disgust. ing practice is a query as to_what measure of control. if any. the SMC. may have on such factories.
Shanghai, May 16.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.