The correspondence, sshich led up Council consideration of the question, commenced with a letter 2: from the Director-General, Mr. Stirling Fessenden, to the Commissioner of Police, Mayor Gerrard, on September 8, in which the former official quoted the re: marks of a New York police officer and requested the latter's opinion, 'A striking passage from the quota tion made by the Director-General inferred that where there was gambling there must be a very igh! vote of crime, his letter read as follows:— have just come across a state. naent by a former Commissioner of Police of New York City, who was of the most efficient Com missioners the city ever had, Sthieh is rather interesting: in, view Of certain local conditions in Shang-says:—"t am in this job to curb crime and T have found that the sure way to do itis to eliminate rambling. Commereialized gambling feunnot possibly exist on legitimate money. "TI must have easy money. No man regularly employed can afford to contribute long to a pro-same ban thrive long on the pation: fessional gambling game, And no
po of a small group such ax men bership of a club. Te must have out: side money. No large gambling business can, thrive. long without ome kind of protection, "The police are bound to know oont the place, Sind it there is no police protection there must be some other kind of protection. Once Tet the word Ipread that there is any kind of protection for gambling and the Tush" of criminals starts ike the Stampede of easy-money men and toa new mining earn.
To maintain the gambling seam? its poteens mivst have an easy money even, They cannot earn "Tron comer thee robber, lola they go after it in other says,
rman, and the, type that are con ritting to-day' wanton murders.
a vicious. circle, Crooks soon corn that where there is protect for gambling there is protection also for other kinds of crime. Show me where there is protection and Twill show you a city where there is 0 igh rate of crime of every kind."
trikes me hat, commercialized combling exists on a relatively Targer scale in Shanghai than most any other city of its siao else Dog racing, horse racing. and Hat Alas while. nog protected. in, the trict sense ave freely permitted and alized on a very extensive seal "The Chinese claim that there ts Girect connection between these enterprises and armed robbery, {idnapping, and theft generally.
am interested to know whether for not in your opinion there is any foundation for such a claim oF! sound reason for believing that, these enterprises do in'any way in-fence the crime situation in Shanghai, The reply of the Commissioner of Police, which was dated September was even more emphatic in tone.
experiences at the town of 'Amara, on the Tigris, where condi-were very similar to those ing' here, formed the introduc tion to a direct expression of his attitude, ax requested by the Direefor-General.
Gambling, he said, practiced here, was the greatest inventive to crime in that it attracted old criminals, made new ones, and had a" serious corrupting influence on the police force. It was one of the outstanding evil Teen! life, he added, which as iMlicit trade in opium and the general looseness of Eastern life to take their unreasonable toll. He concluded by advocating a policy of suppression by all means within the Council's power of all forms of scambling, commercialized or otherwise, The Commissioner's reply was as fellows:—
Referring to your letter of September 8, quoting a statement. by a former Commissioner of Police New York City I shall not presume to comment it beyond stating that it applies im its fall sense to Shanghs I know from personal experience in various places in the Near East and in India that gambling has a very direct effect on crime and" is 1 fact that cannot be disputed that where there is gambling on an ex: tensive scale, there will be a high incidence of crime.
I may be permitted to quote personal experience as being of Special interest in this connection. 'Towards the end of the war' was attached to the star of the Inspeefor-General of Communications Mesopotamin on special secret service. The town of Amara on the Tigris was an Important forward vote with large local as well as military population. The town became notorious for serious rime, cepecially burglary; no house, hospital, no unit camp was safe; serious burglaries occurred every night. Twas asked to look into the matter when T visited the place on my special doty, and help the local authorities. Meeting by good fortune on the day of my arrival an Indian criminal I had helped on one occasion, I asked for his assistance. Next morning he told me that, if would raid a certain place where a large number of Indians were gambling, I woold got the necessary clues. [arrested a large number of gamblers and within a week had recovered the proceeds of innumerable burglaries, A court martial follow fed and the place had no more seri-e._In this instance a few of the Indian Gaol Corps had started a large gambling school, 2 large number of criminals who, to provide means to gamble with, committed burglaries: systematically.
Gambling is the greatest incentive to crime in the East. It attracts
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