To the Fdltor of the "Nonrm-Cuta Dany News"
Sm—About two weeks ago I read ithe correspondence. column of "your esteemed paper, a loller by a Tatepayer who' has the welfare of }the general public at heart, and who [suggested that the taxes, which were already too high for the ordinary work-a-day folk, with the "40 per cent. surcharge,' which was surely to be same tioned at the ratepayers meeting a few days _afterwards, would cripple the finances of a vast majority of Shanghailanders—who were already groaning under the unprecedented surcharges on rent, electricity, gas, water, ele. as weill a the rise in the fares of the buses and trams, in fact, all the public utilities. "He suggested that the Shanghai Municipal Council should! give up their present. sanctimonious! attitude and. immediately license casino, to be run under the strict Supervision of the. Couneil, in the Settlement. The revenue from this source alone, would relieve the tax~ Payers of a large percentage of the taxes they are at present paying, if free them from the taxes altoge-
It is obvious that the Japanese military and their satellites are receiving a tremendous amount from the gambling joints on the outside roads to enable them to carry on their war in China and make pre-arations for further aggression else. where, and this money paid by the Chinese, Tam sure, can easily pull the Shanghai Municipal Council out of its present embarrassment and place it on its feet, so the Council should not sit back with arms crossed and allow the general public to be! mulcted of their last cent without making an effort to help them out of their predicament, The very fact that they have done their part "Pro Bone Publico," even though it hurt them terribly "financially, proves! their loyalty, therefore something should be done to relieve them of these killing taxes. It must be distinctly understood, that all the offices in town do not give the same allowance for the high cost of livin The lucky ones get 250 per cent. which barely covers the H.C.L. but the vast majority get 10 per cent., 60 per cent, and some unfortunates' do hot get any allowance at all, in fact, they" are constantly reminded, that they are lucky to still have a_ job.
The very idea of the Council gineering at licensing a casino for the benefit of all Shanghai residents, when public gambling is being run, among others, by the Shanghai Race Club, under the pretence of giving] a small percentage to charity. This, of course, is not their fault, as they have done this for a long time for 8 worthy cause, long before our pre-Sent predicament. This instance is iven only as a matter for argument, and the Shanghai Stock Exchange, which trades in millions daily and gives nothing away, is, to say the east, scandalous, as it looks like this city is run purely for the bennet of the rich and the poor pay the piper.
T see in this morning's papers, in the official report for the week ending February 8, that there were 1,- 866 deaths, Out of this total, a very small percentage died a ' natural death, "the balance were either! starved, or frozen to death, or both. Now, if we had a casino, we could very' easily set aside a handsome amount for looking after these miserable creatures and give them chance in this cold and cruel world.
'The Council could very easily issue a provisional license, say for! six months or one year, and if the result of operations do not come up to expectations, then they could very well withdraw: same and, at least, the poor will then know' that they} had been given a chance.
It this letter catches the eye of the ratepayer mentioned above, wish he would communicate with me with a view to getting together and discussing the matier of running] 'a casino for the profit of the general Public principally, as he suggested that he would form a commit ice and approach the Council in the approved manner.
Jack Then, Shanghai, Feb, 11, Jack High Opposed To the Editor of the "Norru-Cuuwa Dany News"
'Sm—Who are you to give the S.M.C, advice and teaching them'
run a casino, I think there is Jenough harm done in this city, but till the Concessions are clean and fet them be clean, To run, a casino the Concessions means to enlarge the crime in this city; and of crime: ]we have got enough without gambling places, My opinion is that you do. not care very much for the poor peo-[ple of Shanghai, because if you did you would not ' propose a business from which the poorness of the people will increase; because gambling to some people is not only a pastime Jout a teacher of crime, It is all fright as to your mentioning the Jsqueeze taken in the western districts by people who support eriminals, If these criminals would not get support, the Shanghai jail would have ess boarders, so I think that, with your loller in the "N.CDN." you could not persuade the SMC, to open 'a casino; because a casino is more or less the same as picking someone's pockets in a intelligent manner, You person must be interested in opening a casino because you are' calling yourself already High, but am sure that you must be very short, in all: your thoughts, believe that if the S.M.C. were interested in allowing a place like that and considered it to be a clean business, they would have consented. to an opening long ago, Deeause casino Is not a sporting game but a road to ruin, Am expecting your reply and why you are calling yourself High and not Jack——, and hope that in case there will be a Jeasino in Shanghai, you will not be a member of the Committee; because your proposal is more for your own Jpocket than for the Shanghai poor, If you have courage enough, please mention your right name and'address the next edition and I will men-{tion mine, Jack Vier, [Shanghai, Feb, 13, Taxation:
A Mere Song To the Ealtor of the "Nommu-Cmxa Dany News"
Sm—They're going to tax the kittens and they're going to tax the cals And those terrible distortions that fare used as lady's hats, And they're going '{o tax mos-quitees and their legs and tails and wings And the nasty itch that follows} when the wretch distributes stings, And they're going to tax the bed. bugs and the fleas on them that bite tem And the poor bugs they've already stung—so on ad infinitum:
And they're going to milk the dairies and the cows they're going] to tox (The bull wilt get exemption—he's already over-taxed), And they'll tax the cattle's break fast, hay and straw and quaker oats The straw that will be taxstree is that used for making votes '(When the nourishment, ts taken out, they can feed it to the goats). "And beer's a special matter, for no offsprings ever flourished With pre-natal malnutrition due fathers. under-nourished.
And the bears that hug the stock: exchange, like a bee's nest full of honey, Must also have exemption duc to] fluctuating. money.
But all this won't cure everything]—there's a measure that it lacks, 'They need a Winston Churchill with an Erie Geddes' axe,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.