SHANGHAI STREET DANGERS.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 August 1925, Page 1

SHANGHAI STREET DANGERS.

(T!v Rita dial mors in the London ‘•Daily Mail.”) Shanghai streets are sufficiently dangerous in <|niet times. During native riots they are terrilde for Knglishw union. Imagine a principal 1/ondon thoroughfare during the ‘‘rush hours,” without, any rule of the road and with the pavements thronged with people ready to push you oil the kerb il you are in their way. and you have a preliminary idea of ordinary Shanghai t-treet risks. Visualise also erowded tramway-ears, thousands of bicycles darting through the traffic, passenger wheel-harrows, rickshaws. victorias, motor-cars, and murderous things called ‘‘brokers’ carriages” drawn hv ia.sttrotting ponies which stop for nothing and the picture is complete. Native pedestrians solve the problem of crossing file road by holding an unswerving course and leaving their lives in the hands of the vehicular drivers—and incidentally losing them in large numbers. At night street dangers take on a di Here lit line. Hooliganism is part of tbe Chinese character and is always to Ik* 1 eared—in or out of riot times. I never went out at night without a heavy sharp stone in my pocket—a strange weapon for tin F.nglishwotnan ! - and on one occasion had to use it on three coolies who tried to snatch my hag. . . 'l'lte working-class Chinese is an arrant coward. It is only necessary to strike once, oven if lie attacks in force. ■Rut. as with all cowardly hooligans, it is exceeding dangerous to show him either mercy, fear, or liberality. The day I left Shanghai I took my last ricksha in great haste and to save time handed the coolie a dollar—more than thnee times too much - and waivedthe change. ’With the usual logic of his race he threw himself Wore ray gate, and demanded more, with meuiires. "Without a word T struck him in the face, tore the- licence off his ricksha and ’phoned for tin- police to take him away.

T hear the marks of his teeth on my knuckles to this day.