To the Editor of the Sin,—Your correspondence columns have shown that some interest being taken by the public at the moment to put the finances of the! Council in better shape. It is easy] enough to secure support for economy in the abstract, but the difficulty arises in attempting to translate this desire into conerete proposals; only two such proposals! have ce far received publicity, viz, 1, The abolition, or reduction in size, of the Municipal Orchestra, 2 A weeding-out of the local civil service and a modification the alleged highly favourable terms: of service.
I is not the purpose of my letter to offer an opinion on the merits of these propositis; they Gan be left to the judgment of the special committee which, 1 understand, is now sitting and whose report will presumably be published. But 1 would like to make two suggestions for! increasing the Council's revenue and commend to the attention of the Committee:—
1. Levy a tax on the pari-mutual takings at the Shanghai Race Club. half price) to Jessfield and Hongkew Parks and open'them fo the whole community, Chinese and foreign.
The latter proposal has the dual advantage of securing money for the Council and solving a vexed question now long overdue for set-
Tam, ete,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.