Jan. 19.
The Shanghai Municipal Council are to be congratulated on having come to the end of their painfully long period of gestation over the question of Greyhound Racing. The delay has no doubt been due in the main to feelings doing credit to the hearts of the Members if not to their reputation as men of action. It has permitted to grow up a controversy tempered happily by much good humour and by " praiseworthy restraint shown by the responsible authorities of the concerns affected, There can be no question that, in the interests of the Settlement's good name, the Council have now acted wisely. Those of the promoters who hoped to establish greyhound racing on sporting lines, as in Bngland, deserve sympathy. They are victims of conditions which mako it impossible for such an enterprise to exist in Shanghai except on the basis of commercialized gambling. It is satisfactory to observe that some effort has been! made by the Council to limit the
cessation of activities to whic financial loss involved by RB) in the first instance, definite off cial encouragement was tempora arily, if misguidedly given, The Council cannot be ce gratulated on the manner 7 which the announcement has been made. Yesterday the marked depression of greyhound racing shares combined with formation reaching this office, Jed to the institution of inquiries which elicited the information that, the Council had addressed to the Greyhound Racing Companies a letter conveying their decision. In the usual way a re presentative of the "North-China, Daily News" put questions at the" offices of the Council. He was presented with confirmation of the reports which had already unofficially reached this journal, Later, in response to a request for a copy of the Council's letter, he was invited to call and given the document of which the terms fare printed elsewhere. Tt will be noted that the decision must have been reached at the latest on Wednesday. Yot it was mot mentioned in the minutes circulated to the Press. It can only be assumed therefore that, had not the "North-China Daily News" made the inquiry of its own volition, the Cotineil would still be preserving a modest re-licence on the subject in spite of fervent protestations of its desire on all occasions to be communicative to the public through the Press on matters of general interest and importance: However, having thus been lured, into unexngetedly -sudden diss closure, the Municipal officials concerned thought that they would make a good job of it a1 proceeded to get into touch with the Press—generally it i the document for which this. journal had specifically asked other newspapers. Qn other 0 casions this procedure—contrary. as it is to the recognized cent ventions obtaining in any well-run Government department in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.