The Washington herald., 1915-04-25
KITCHENER WARS
ON GAMESTERS
Gambling Dens Flourishing
on Fleece Of Young
Soldiers.
WAR HITS KINGS PURSE
Monarch's Rentals Cut to Small
Figure and Royal Family Is
Studying Economy.

Special Cable to The Washington Herald
London, April 24.-London is on the
eve of a great anti-gambling crusade
which is apt to result in most scanda-
lous exposures of existing conditions
in the West End.
The element which under ordinary
circumstances would be at the Riviera
this time of the year. has remained at
home because of the war, and not
even the serious crisis through which
the country is passing has made them
forget their passion for gambling.
AS result there has sprung up in
Belgravia and other fashionable parts
of London. as well as at Brighton by
the way. an enormous number of
gambling palaces. far less respecta BILE
and far more dangerous than those
of Monte Carlo. where enormous
amounts of money change hands every
night, or rather every day, for gam
bling begins almost Immediately after
lunch and is continued till the early
hours of the morning.
If these establishments enticed into
their nets only the idle and useless
society drones to whom vice in some
form is a necessity, these gambling
clubs would perhaps not be disturbed
by the authorities who have plenty
of more serious matters to attend 10.
but their snares are laid even in the
military and naval clubs and they
employ as their stool pigeons a num-
her of pensioned and impecunious OF
fcers for the purpose of Fleeing the
large number of wealthy young men
who. having Joined the army. stop
some time in London before going to
the front.
Kitchener Starts Crusade.
1t is hardly surprising to hear then
that Lord RitrheneF who forbade
army officers to visit night clubs
where nothing worse than dancing.
flirting and drinking nonalcoholic bev-
erages is INDUCED in, should have
started a crusade to wipe out these
dens where young men preparing for
most arduous duties demanding their
full energies, mental as we'll as physi
cal. are robbed not only of their
wealth. but. what is worse, of vitality.
which at present belongs not to them
selves but to their country.
! met a few days ago in Piccadilly
two wounded Tommies who had just
returned from the front after taking
part in the entire compaign since the
battle of Mons.
When I asked them what were their
impressions of France. they replied
that when English soldiers first come
to France they were made the pets
of everybody and almost swamped
with presents of tobacco. cigarettes
and chocolate.
Now. however. a lot Of sharks are
trying to profit from the fact that
the English soldier is better paid than
the French. The itine bistros charge
the English soldier 40 centimes for
the drink that they sell to- the French
soldier for 90 and the difference on
a loaf of bread of one pound is 80
centimes.
Princes Purse Hit.
The war has considerably dimin-
ished the income of the Prince of
Wales. His revenue from the Duchy
of Cornwall has gone down almost so
per cent because farmers find it i'm
possible to pay their rent.
The prince, nevertheless, manages
to get along, for, in spite of all. he
is still receiving about 100000 and
of this amount.
King George, il appears. is even
harder hit than his eldest son. for the
revenues from the Duchy of Lancas-
ter have dwindled to almost nothing
and it was imperatively necessary TO
economic at Buckingham.
A Copenhagen telegram states that
sixty carloads of secondhand furni-
ture. statuary, gobelins, etc, have ar
rived from Germany. Simulta
advertisements appear in the principal
paper in which it is stated that these
goods coming from Belgian and French
Chateaus are to be sold by auction
in Copenhagen within few days.
The origin of the goods has aroused
intense indignation in Denmark and
there has been talk of boycotting the
papers that accepted the advertise
ments. which are called an insult to
the Danish people.