Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1921-12-29

1r0en IN Macao.
that is not why most folk board the
daily boat from Hongkong to go there.
1t is summer resort for the Canton.
ese because Of its exposure to the
cooling mOns0Ons in midsummer,
Opium smugglers and gamblers, in re.
cent years, have doomed large among
Its transients. Formerly the Chinese
coolie traffic also had headquarters
here. Within century its waters may
have warranted the characterization
of one traveller who called them 1.-THE
most dangerous waters Of the world
from police standpoint" and added
"a river trip Is splced with the risk
of pfratical attack"
Revenues From Gambling.
The ideas Of Henry George and 9th.
er tax theorists have found a niggard
soil in Macao, whose fiscal policy is
simplicity itself. Poo-chee and fan.
tan provide the revenues of the city.
1t has been said that half the minted
pieces Of the Far East find their way
| sooner or later to the gambling boards
Of Macao, and the old Rix dollar, the
Mexican peso. and the American dime
are clinked upon the tables Of the
jeunesse doree, or Of the 'rickshaw
coolies and harbor riff-raff of the town,
while a daily flow Of men, women and
dollars crosses the estuary from Hong.
kong to Macao and pours into the
hellS of the ROa do JOgO, or gambling
street,
Fan-tan is the favorite game, but it
is nothing like the card game Of that
name known to Americans. The Chi.
nese croupiers sit enthroned before 9
square marked at the corners with
the numbers l. 2, 3 and 4. The banker
reclines behind grating, smoking 8
long pipe. Overhead is a gallery run.
ming all around the room and forming
a sort Of ceiling, pierced only by q
hole the size Of the table. From this
gallery the bets are made, and the
stakes are alternately let down and
drawn up, accompanied by the sound
Of drawing lninstrelsy.
The croupier takes a handful OF
small coins and covers them with 8
reversed bowl, while money is laid
on one Of the four numbers. When
the betting has ceased he lifts. the
bowl and separates the coins with his
wand. Then he counts them by tours
and the remainder, or the last four,
IL there be no remainder, represents
the winning number. Each hazard Is
a one-to-three wager, and the banks
pay on that basis, after deducting the
house percentage. A number of these
licensed gambling dens, graded accord.
ing to the limit of wager allowed, pay
the revenues Of the city Of Macao.
Attractive to Travellers.
Present day Macao is not marred
for the casual traveller by either Its
fair for fan-tan or its thriving trade
in opium. The latter Is shipped away
to wreak its havoc; the former brings
the bizarre and the adventurous. The
lefty Of today is one Of the few Far
Eastern coast towns which have no,
been caught in the resistless current
Of commercial progress, and for tina,
reason 1t presents some interesting
studies to lovers Of the picturesque.
He who lands from a steamer ID
captivated by it's blend Of Portuguese
and Chinese people, by pagoda and
western church, and when the sum.
mons Of hunger leads him to hOtel
that. has been called the cleanest ant
most beautifully situated in the Or
tent, the contrast persists. He may
order the famous Portuguese colarei
with his yellow water chestnut pasties
and choose either ultra-occ1denta,
game dinners or pudding Of c6agulatet
ducks blood and sugar-preserved BAN
boo shoots. There are but 1000 Por
tuguese resident there. but they rep
resent four-century impress TINT
their nationality has made upon thu
total population Of about $4,000.
After dinner the visitor may stroll
along the Praya Grande, both the
Broadway and the Riverside drive o,
Macao. Having shopped and Summed
he finally will be led to catch the
deeper romance Of the city In thu
grotto where the poets have carvet
lines Of praise to the one-eyed soldier
poet who wrote the glory Of farthes,
|tWest Europe on an island Of neari.
farthest East China. ,;s
h. G. Z. Pinehss King George.
Owing to increased expenses, King
George has found Il necessary during
the past few years to supplement thu
income he receives from the stats out
of his private resources.