FUTURE OF SHANGHAI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20903, 19 June 1931, Page 11

FUTURE OF SHANGHAI.

REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL

RENDITION OUT OF QUESTION

FEAR OF CHINESE CONTROL.

By Telegraph—Press Aasociotion—Copyright SHANGHAI, * Juno 17.

The report of Mr. Justice Feetham, the internationally-famed jurist,, regarding the International Settlement at Shanghai lias been issued.

Mr. Justice Feetham, who came from South Africa, was formerly chairman of tho Irish Boundary Commission and was specially invited by the Shanghai Municipal Council to study the difficult extraterritoriality question and to render an open-minded report on the question whether the abolition or the retention of extraterritoriality was advisable. His report comprises 300,000 words. The section issued to-day vitally affects foreigners residing in Shanghai and the treaty ports generally. It declares emphatically that the abolition of extraterritoriality is unthinkable at present, and that the maintenance of the foreign military defence force is essential. Mr. Justice Feetham states that tho Chinese must not secure a majority vote in the administration of the International Settlement, owing to the inevitable interference from the military, from the National Government, and from the Kuomintang. If the Chinese gained control of Shanghai there would be no guarantee that the incidents of 1927 would not be repeated. Mr. Justice Feetham suggests that foreigners be granted a charter by the Chinese Government. While admitting that the abolition of extraterritoriality will eventally be inevitable, he adds that the question of the rendition of the settlement must be considered in terms of decades, not of years.