§ Sir J. Wardlaw-Milneasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received any recent report on the working of the agreement between the Shanghai Municipal Council and the Japanese authorities for the policing of the "Bad Lands" in Japanese control outside the settlement boundary; whether he is aware that last November house-breaking by armed robbers and the holding up of people in the streets, including foreign women, were frequent occurrences; whether the Shanghai municipal police are still denied entrance to the "Bad Lands"; and whether there has been any improvement in the situation in recent months?
§ Mr. ButlerAfter negotiations extending over a period of several months, an agreement providing for the establishment of a joint police force for the Western Extra-Settlement Area at Shanghai was signed on 1st February. It came into force on the 15th March, on which date the Shanghai municipal police were withdrawn. While conditions in the area have continued to be unsatisfactory in recent months, it is yet too early to judge what result the new agreement will have