While the opium traffic has suffer= sd considerably from the measures taken by the Fengtien administra tion the flood relief tickets,' and "fortune, gaining passes" proceeds and on dimensions larger than ever before, Attention has been drawn in these columns from time to time to the sale of these tickets, and it was the fervent hope of all' concerned that the authorities would take some steps towards their suppression, However, this was not to be already mentioned, sales extensive than ever before, The Trade Quite Open All along Boulevard des Deux Republiques (facing the French Concession) North Szechuen Road Extension, (where all shop doors are part of the Settlement) Paoshan Road, and other thoroughfares in Chapei and the City, as well as well as Nantao (in fact in all places in Chinese territory) the signboards of lottery-ticket merchants are prominently displayed. They are genly in gold, white or black writ ing on a ved background, and. in instances. the "firm" is given in English, bearing the word "lotter: of the usual style also are displayed as well as blackboards, with white chalk Chinese characters, giving. dates for the opening of the lottery.
Some of the shops are carried two of three (sometimes four) ordin more extensive lines and acc
ary Chinese shops for the business but others, probably lem fortunate, occupy one or even half a shop.
No attempt ix made to keep the business secret. Pedestrians papain are generally hailed with "Buy! Buy (Fah Zay Piao) lucky ticket and make a fortune, For 60 cents you may win $500 and for $6 you may win $5,000, (Of course the prices and the prizes differ in most eases, unless the shops are controlled by the aame Dah Tong Hong (Big Head Firm). Often it has occurred thut the writer, Passing by these places, hay had placed under his very nose, a bundle of these tickets, accompanied by yells of "Buy! Bu:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.