CHINESE TROUBLE.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 September 1927, Page 3

CHINESE TROUBLE.

(Australian & N.Z. Cable Association. CRIME IN CHINA. SHANGHAI. Sept. IS. An unprecedented wave of crime is sweeping Shanghai, principally in the International settlement. The authorities are alarmed, wondering if the world’s crime centre has shifted from Chicago to Shanghai. The area of tho settlement is 5,500 acres, and the police totsd 3,533, including whites, Chinese nmf Indians. In addition there are hundreds of reserves and specials, yet outrageous crimes occur daily in broad daylight in the settlements busiest thoroughfares, 'there are street battles between tho police and the desperadoes are becoming common, and kidnapping happens under the noses of the police. The authorities blame thousands of disbanded Northerners captured in the recent fighting around Nanking. Many bad secreted arms and ammunition which now are being used to terrorise the foreign settlements. Further blame is laid on the Provisional Court eontrolled bv Chinese, which deals with eases affecting the natives and non-extra-territorial foreigners arising within the settlement, which refuses to impose the death penalty, and otherwise deals lightly with criminals brought to justice. The September record averages seven armed hold-ups daily and three armed kidnappings. Wealthy Chinese arc in the majority of cases the victims, anti they are murdered if a ransom is not forthcoming. In addition there are scores of unarmed hold-ups. A strange feature of the situation is that crime outside the Settlements is considerably less than within, suggesting ail organised effort to reduce to a minimum the welf-known security afforded in Foregin Settlements in tho past. The opinion in certain circles is that a deliberate campaign was instigated by the Chinese authorities to create a situation that would justify a further claim to assume control of the Settlement apart from the original Nationalist programme.