While these are factors which would hinder the discharge from {he best drainage system, the main cause the more frequent floods has been the damage to the drainage system within the area due to the rapid uncontrolled © industrial development during the past two or three years. This development from the beginning, paid no regard to the drainage system and was beyond the reach of any Sort of municipal control. Each proprietor anxious only to get full value from his land filled in ponds and backwaters and sometimes creeks and culverts, and raised his for sumiciently to make sure of shedding the tain-water on to adjoining land which in {is turn was raised, often to a higher The land scheduled for now ron by the late City Government was Dullt over, although these roads could have provided the area with adequate drainage. In this way the drainage aystem in the eastern halt of The area has been destroyed, beyond repair, and most of the rainfall Is discharged to the few municipal roads there which were only constructed to take the drainage from the semi-rural re= sidential development so characteris of the region before the hostilities, as ft sin is of the developed parts west of the railway today. This Fapid and, "unusual "development. which could not have been foreseen was the Fesult "of the. hostilities driving all Industry into Shanghai and the selection of the railway rather than some other line further west or the Settiement boundary as the limit of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.