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308
SHANGHAI
"C
A considerable amount of foreign severely injured, and three natives lost their lives. owned property was destroyed. An extensive fire in the French Concession in August, 1878, destroyed 991 houses; the loss was estimated at Tls. 1,500,000.
As at all the open ports, foreigners are in judicial matters subject to the immediate control of their Consuls, British subjects coming under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, which was opened in September, 1865. Subjects of Her Britannic Majesty have to pay a poll tax of five dollars for gentlemen and one dollar for "artizans and labourers," for which they have the privilege of being registered at the Consulate, and of being heard as plaintiffs before the Court. There is enforced registra- tion at several of the other Consulates, but it is free of charge. Chinese residents in the Foreign Settl ments are amenable to their own laws, administered by a so called Mixed Court, which was established at the instigation of Sir Harry Parkes in 1864, and is presided over by an official o: t e rank of Tung-chi. The cases are watched by foreign assessors from the different Consulates, the first British assessor calling himself a "co-judge." The working of the Court, especially in regard to civil suits, is far from satisfactory, as the judge has not sufficient power to enforce his decisions. The matter bas lately been engaging the attention of the authorities at Peking. For the French Concession there is a separate Mixed Court, which sits at the French Consulate.
In local affairs the residents govern themselves by means of Municipal Councils, under the authority of the "Land Regulations." These were originally drawn up by H.B.M. Consul in 1845, but have since undergone various amendments. In 1854 the first general Land Regulations-the city charter, as they may be called-wer arranged between the British Consul, Captain Balfour, and the local authorities, by which persons of all nationalities were allowed to rent lard within the defined limits, and in 1863 the so-called "American Settlement" was amalgamated with the British into one Municipality. The "Committee of Roads and J-tties," originally consisting of “three upright British Merchants," appointed by the British Consul, afterwards became the Municipal Council," elected by the renters of land, and when the revised Land Regulations came into force in 1870, the "Council for the Foreign Community of Shanghai North of the Yang-king-pang," elected in January of each year by all householders who pay rates on an assessed rental of five hundred taels and owners T. e Council now consists of nine of land valued at five hundred taels and over. members of various nationalities, who elect their own chairman and vice-chairman and who give their services free. A committee of residents was appointed in November, 1879, to revise the present regulations, but their report has not yet been presented. A separate Council for the French Concession was appointed in 1862, and now works under the "Réglement d'Organisation Municipale de la Concession Française," pa: sed in 1868, and consists of four French and four foreign members, elected for two years, half of whom retire annually. They are elected by all own rs of land on the Concession, or occupants paying a rental of a thousand francs per anuum, or residents with an annual income of four thousand franes. This, it will be noticed, approaches much more nearly to "universal suffrage" than the franchise of the other Settlements, which, as the hong sys em still exists to a consideral le extent and five and six roomed houses are now to be got for a rental under the required five hundred taels, is considered by many as excluding too large a proportion of respons.ble residents. The qualification for councillors North of the Yang-king-pang is the payment of rates to the amount of fifty taels annually, or being a householder paying rates on an assessed rental of twelve hundred taels. For the French Concession the requirement is a monetary one of about the same amount. Several efforts have been made to amal: amate the French with the other Settlements, but i.itherto without succ ss. Meetings of ratepayers are held in February of each year, at which the budgets are voted and the new Councils instructed as to the policy they are to pursue. No important measure is undertaken without being referred to a special meeting of ratepayers. The Council divides itself into Defence, Finance, Watch, and Works Committe. This cosmopolitan system of Government has for many years worked so well and so cheaply, that Shanghai has fairly earned for itself the name of "The Model Settlement."
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