52
J. H. HAAN
contest if the term may be used in connection with such tame tussles as the Shanghai Municipal Council elections"45 and it was alleged that the "small and select group which dominates the affairs of the Shanghai International Settlement always regards the situation as ideal when there are only nine nominees for the nine posts on the Municipal Council because that obviates the necessity for holding an election. A public election, even when all the nominees are highly respectable as Shanghai standards go, is generally regarded as undesirable for there is always the possibility of unexpected developments because of nationalistic rivalries which exist here in an exaggerated degree”46
Municipal Bureaucracy and Social Legislation
As has been made clear a certain ossification took place with regard to the political structure of the Settlement. It is interesting to consider whether this influenced the way the Settlement government coped with the increasing social and infrastructural problems which were inherent in a fast growing town which, moreover, was changing from a commercial into an industrial centre.
The attitude of the foreign rulers of the Settlement remained essentially one of non interference, though efforts were sometimes made to soften the most obvious hardships. But in general an early and mid nineteenth century individualist liberal ideology prevailed. This meant that the main tasks which were considered legitimate business for the Municipal Council were:
the upkeep of law and order through the police
the provision of public works like roads, drainage, parks, etc.
the taking of essential measures to prevent the outbreak of diseases, plagues, etc., in other words: public health.
Closely related to these tasks was the rise of the several departments of the municipal administration.
The municipal police originated in the early 1850s and although it cannot be said that it functioned very satisfactorily in the beginning one superintendent was even dismissed in 1860 "on charges indicating systematic fraud and extortion"47
52
J. H. HAAN
contest if the term may be used in connection with such tame tussles as the Shanghai Municipal Council elections"45 and it was alleged that the "small and select group which dominates the affairs of the Shanghai International Settlement always regards the situation as ideal when there are only nine nominees for the nine posts on the Municipal Council because that obviates the necessity for holding an election A public election, even when all the nominees are highly respectable as Shanghai standards go, is generally regarded as undesirable for there is always the possibility of unexpected developments because of nationalistic rivalries which exist here in an exaggerated degree” 46
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Municipal Bureaucracy and Social Legislation
As has been made clear a certain ossification took place with regard to the political structure of the Settlement. It is interesting to consider whether this influenced the way the Settlement government coped with the increasing social and infrastructural problems which were inherent in a fast growing town which, moreover, was changing from a commercial into an industrial centre.
The attitude of the foreign rulers of the Settlement remained essentially one of non interference, though efforts were sometimes made to soften the most obvious hardships. But in general an early and mid nineteenth century individualist liberal ideology prevailed. This meant that the main tasks which were considered legitimate business for the Municipal Council were:
the upkeep of law and order through the police
the provision of public works like roads, drainage, parks,
etc.
the taking of essential measures to prevent the outbreak of diseases, plagues, etc., in other words: public health.
Closely related to these tasks was the rise of the several departments of the municipal administration.
The municipal police originated in the early 1850s and although it cannot be said that it functioned very satisfactorily in the beginning one superintendent was even dismissed in 1860 "on charges indicating systematic fraud and extortion"47
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