The Lehi sun. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1913-1949, 1921-12-22

that Is not why most folk board the
daily boat from Hongkong to go there.
II Is summer resort for the Canton
csc because OF it's exposure to the
cooling monsoons In midsummer.
Opium smugglers and gamblers, in re.
cent years, have doomed large among
Its translents. Formerly the Chlhese
coolle traffic also had n headquarters
here. Within century Its waters may
have warranted the Characterization
OF one traveller who called them "the
most dangerous waters OF the world
from a police standpoint" and added
"a river trip is spiced with the risk
Of piratlcal attack"
Revenues From Gambling
The Ideas OF Henry George ana 9TH
er tax theorists have found a nigvard
soil In Macao, whose fiscal policy 10
simplicity Itself. Poo-chee anS fan
tan provide the revenues OF the city.
It has been said that half the hinted
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 NJ the
5eunesse doree, or OF the 'rickshaw
coolies and harbor riff-raff OF the town,
while daily flow of men, women and
dollars crosses the estuary from Hong
kong TO Macao and pours int the
bells Of the Roa do Jogo. or gambling
street.
Fan-tan Is the favorlte game, kut II
Is nothing Uke the card game OF that
name known to Americans. Tho Chl-
nese crouHiers sit enthroned before a
square marked at the corners with
the numbers /, 2, 3 and 4. The banker
recisnes behind grating, smoking a
long pipe. Overhead is a gallery run
ming all around the room and forming
sort of ceiling. pierced only by a
hole tine size Of the table. From this
gallery the bets are made, and the
stakes are alternately let down aud
drawn up, accompanied by the sound
Of drawing mlnstrelsy.
The croupler takes handful OF
small coins and covers them with a
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 fours,
and the remainder, or the last four,
II there be no remainder, represents
the winning number. Each hazard Is
a one-to-three wager, and the banks
ray on that basis, after deductlng the
house percentage. A number of these
licensed gambling dens, graded accord
Ing TO the limit or wager allowed, pay
the revenues OF .he 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 letter is shipped away
10 wreak its havoc; the former brings
the bizarre and toe adventurous. The
city OF today is Que ~ the few Far
Eastern coast to31Is which have not
been caught in the reslstless current
OF commercial pingress, and for that
reason II preseLls some interesting
studies to lovers 81 the picturesque
He who lands from a steamer is
caPtlvated by It's blend OF Portuguese
and Chinese people, by pagOda and
western church, and when the sum-
mons OF hunger loads him 10 a hotel
that has been called the cleanest aud
most beautifully htuated In the Or
lent, the contrast persists. He may
order the famous Portuguese colares
with his yellow water chestnut pas;ies.
and choose either ultra-Qccidental !
game dinners or Pudding OF c6agulated |
ducks blood and sugar-preserved BAN.
hoo shoots. There are but 1000 POr- |
tuguese resident there, but they rep
resent a fOur-cebtury impress that
their nationality has made upon the
total populatloE OF about 10000.
After dinner the visitor may stroll
along the Praya Grande, both the
Broadway and the Riverside drive OF
Macao. Having shOpped and Summed,
he finally VIII be led TO catch the
leeper romance Of the city In the
grOttO where the poets have carved
ines of praise 10 the one-eyea soldier
loet who wrote the glory OF farthest
West Europe on an island OF nearly
drthest East China.
y. C. L. Plnehes King george.