16th March, Tue correspondence published by the Municipal Council this morning with' reference to the lotteries that have become such a pestilent nui-sauce in Shanghai, will be read with a great deal of interest. It is very gratifying to see that the Consular Body is unanimously of opinion that steps should be taken for the suppression of lotteries in the Foreign Settlement. The question to be set-tied, however, and it is not definitely settled in the Senior Consul's letter, For instance, under certain conditions subjects of certain Powers are permitted to sell certain lottery tickets with impunity in their nat lands. Are we correct in assuming th Council decide to refuse to to 5 lokets under a of those people abore tempt to sell these tickets, will the Consuls in Shanghai individually' enforce a local regulation against their own. nationals in cases. where these regulations may opposed to the laws of their own countries?
If the Consular Body answer this in the affirmative, it is all plain sailing, but if the Consuls of certain Powers do not feel authorised to prevent their nationals selling lottery tickets altogether, the Council can only try to mitigate the evil: by charging a very high license fee, and restricting the number of branch shops that each lottery shall be allowed to keep open, There is no real hardship in any Consul enforcing here a regulation which is not enforced in his own land, if its enforcement is judged necessary to the preservation of the well-being of the Settlement. As Mr. von Brandt, the then German Minister, pointed out many years ago, a great many foreigners enjoy privileges here that they do not enjoy in their native countries, and it is not unfair that they should also submit to certain restrictions demanded by the peculiar conditions of the Settlement. To allow certain foreigners to run lotteries, because they would not be prevented from doing so at home, is to create monopolies in their favour, which would obviously unjust; and we trust all the Treaty Power Consuls will see their way to prohibiting dealing in lottery tickets altogether. This was done, we believe, once before in Shanghai, and we hope to see it done in now. Meanwhile we are very glad to see that the Consular Body and the Council are alike anxious to sec lotteries abolished.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.