To the Editor of the "NentH-Cuina Datty: News."
Smn—Sudging by' the: avalanche of protests, this' restriction. of the Municipal Councillors is highly: unpopular with the rank and file of Shanghai, who have given a wide variety of reasons for their opposition to being led by the ear, 80 to speak, into a straight and narrow. minded course.
Only one of your correspondents, however, has based- his protest, upon any. tangible ground. I refer to the letter signed Frederick G. Jones. Mr. Jones' cited definite acts to prove that" his business has been injured and will be hure further by the Council's inexplicable action, That the business of the unfortunate cabaret owners' will be: hard hit goes without saying. The blow' they will suffer, of course, has been made a little: more severe the failure of the International Settlement authorities to- obtain the ce-operation of the Frenchtown authorities, if such a thing were possible, for the rulers' across: the line are not so short-sighted as our own seem to be.
But there is another aspect of this matter, thay is the effect which making a new Jerusalem. of Shanghai may have on the-tourist traffic. Mir, T. Saito, manager of the RIY-K. according to, reports inthe press, cited figures last week show: ing that some $30,000,000. were
tourists from Amreica, alone, dur Now Ido not pretend that any. considerable: portion of this amount was spent in Shanghai cabarets, Nevertheless, the night life which has won for Shanghai the world. wide sobriquet "The Paris of the Orient" is and has been no inconsiderable factor in bringing to this. city the -tourist, traffic. which have enjoyed, Dim the bright lights and. you dim that reputation for' gaiety. Even in. Snake Bits, Montana, the American does -not-have to' go home at 2 am—and! frequently doesn't, Not cabarets alone; but sih, stores, curio shops, hotels, motor car hire concerns, all those who batten legitimately upon the tour ist, including the shipping compan= ies and railroads, will suffer, Tam, ete, Shanghai, Jan, 19) 1980, the Editor of the "Nontu-CutNa Datty News."
Si,—So much has. deen written your paper recently' regarding the: action of the S.M.C. in' closing the cabarets. at 2 a.m. that I surprised that not one of your correspondents has come forward to'express the point of view of the cabaret girl and what this earlier closing may: mean to her. So far most of the correspondence has been 4 series of wails from' persons con-neeted with the management or from a few irresponsibles who have probably more time than' money. spend in cabarets. I am sure these persons have never given a thought fs to the conditions and the hours under which these unfortunate girls axe forced to work, and neither have they given any. consideration to how the new legislation is likely to react. Personally I think the action of the S.M.C. in closing. the cabarets at an earlier hour fsa most commendable one and one that I" think will benefit the management and girls alike, Let us review the situation, Five or six-years ago it was the custom. for enbarets to begin at 8 o'clock and close' at 2 am. In those dai the management provided tranportation for the girls to and from their homes tothe various places of business. In addition to this the girls were given a salary and com-fission and in most cases were provided with meals, What was the result. On account of the earlier opening, the cabarets got a better class of client and the girls were able to make better, money and to return to their homies' at a. reasonable hour. I was. connected with a cabaret' and I can vouch that the customers were a decent type of business man who could well afford to spend two of three evenings a week at the cabarets, because he was not forced to wait until nearly midnight to begin his pleasures. Men came earlier, spent. more freely and left in time to be home in bod" by 12 or 1. o'clock; thus assuring themselves of a good night's rest and to arrive at' office fresh for. business, minus an aching head, Take the conditions as they are at present, What self-respecting. business man cares to wait until 12 o'clock to visit the cabarets... The result is that most of the cabarets to-day are supported: by young men who, as I said before, have more time than money to spend at the cabarets and thus the girls are deprived of making anything like the living which they. had in former days. The way things are at present, the cabaret git] is obliged to wait until 11 o'clock to begin he business and as long.as. there is-one customer in.the establishment, the whole staff of girls is obliged to: wait until the customer in question*chooses to'leave. This may be 6 or 7 o'clock in: the morning, must congratulate the $.M.C. on the stand it has taken and my only. regret: is: that the French Council and' the' Munteipality. of Greater Shanghai carmot-see their way to fall in. line with the S.C. and thus make conditions. better and easier, for. the unfortunate cabaret. sin, Enclosing my: eard, 'A: Fonsien Cananbr Girt, Shanghiai, Jane 845 1990:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.