Since the conclusion of the Race Club's Autumn Meeting, the Municipal Council's tax-gatherers have mad time to go through the race book and, with the help of those Jin the know, to make out lists of the owners of ponies entered for the meeting, and during the last few days they have been going the rounds demanding the pony tax. Of course, if a tax is legally enforced, however obnoxious it may be, it [must be paid, but exe cannot blame 'a man for being annoyed if, when owns a half-chare in a' pony, he is with a tax card made out for four ponies, the inference being that some inordinate-smart Municipal servant prefers not to t#ust the pony owner and fuzes such means to trap him, or perhaps, by suggesting that a certain racing nom de plume is his, to catch him off his guard and get him to admit the real owner of Previously, it has been pointed how unfair is this tax, if not in its purpose, at least in its opera~ tion. A reference to the Municipal Budget shows that the tax is paid for only a very small percentage of the ponies known to be Shanghai, and as racing owners continually wre badgered for the tax, it ts to be presumed that they Jare'the only ones who pay it. Their identity can be established through Jthe medium of race-books, whereas the owners of hundreds of hacks and country ponies cannot be traced. Yet it is the race pony who costs most in the beginning and the most to keep, whilst he makes the least use of' the Municipal roads. They are stabled at the Race Club Jand have all their exercise on the course. If the tax were paid by well and good, but if the 'Gouncil cannot devise a way of making it generally operative it ought to be abolished, for as matters are at prevent it is grossly unfair. Incidentally, Municipal servants are excused taxation. Do the many' who keep racing ponies and hunters escape this tax leo? If 20, why? nite ironically amusing is the Soviet "demand" for "an adequate apology" and "punishment of both the private and official me volved in the forgery." We should inow like to read the letter of ad-
Intonition, despatched to the person lor persons foolish enough to. allow the ineviminating letter to slip into publicity.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.