CO129-054 - Sir Bowring - 1856 [1-2] — Page 245

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All AI Reviewed

240

opinion that it is highly desirable to regulate the gaming houses in the Colony or in other words to tolerate their existence by legal enactments, that the uncurbed might possibly aggravate certain evils, I think that a cautious and stringent concurrent legislation might remedy those evils, and preserve to the community at large the benefits that necessarily arise from an increased revenue and a more efficient police. Seven tenths of the native population at the time gamble more or less clandestinely and will continue to do so, for the police, owing to circumstances over which the Government has no control, viz., scarcity of respectable Europeans, unfitness of the Chinese character for police purposes, will never be able to exercise that thorough surveillance over a densely crowded population which is necessary for the suppression of gaming. From an investigation which recently took place at the Police office it appeared, that there was not a single office connected with the administration of justice in which the lowest Chinese subordinates did not levy a daily blackmail from the gaming houses, and that there were also organised bands of vagabonds in the Colony who also extorted daily sums from such establishments, thus we have two immense evils.

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240 opinion that it is highly desirable to regulate the gaming houses in the Colony or in other words to tolerate their existence by legal enactments, that the uncurbed might possibly aggravate certain evils, I think that a cautious and stringent concurrent legislation might remedy those evils, and preserve to the community at large the benefits that necessarily arise from an increased revenue and a more efficient police. Seven tenths of the native population at the time gamble more or less clandestinely and will continue to do so, for the police, owing to circumstances over which the Government has no control, viz., scarcity of respectable Europeans, unfitness of the Chinese character for police purposes, will never be able to exercise that thorough surveillance over a densely crowded population which is necessary for the suppression of gaming. From an investigation which recently took place at the Police office it appeared, that there was not a single office connected with the administration of justice in which the lowest Chinese subordinates did not levy a daily blackmail from the gaming houses, and that there were also organised bands of vagabonds in the Colony who also extorted daily sums from such establishments, thus we have two immense evils.

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2 240 opinion that it is highly desirable to regulate the gaming houses in the Colony or in other words to tolerate enactments, that the uncurbed their existence by legal for while granting toleration of garning houses might possibly aggravate certam wilts, Ithink that a cantions and concurrent. stringent - rrent legislation might remedy those evils, and preserve to the community at large the benefits that necessarily arise from air increased revenue and a more efficient police. Seven tenths of the native population at the : time gamble more or prevent or less clandestinely and will continue to do so, for the police, serving to circumstances over which the Government has Aro control, viz., chinate, scarcity of respectable Curopeans, unfitues of the chinese character for police purposes- Never will be able to evercise that thorough surveillance over a densely crowded population which is necessary for the suppression of gaming. From an investigation which recently took place at the Police office it appeared, that there was not a single office connected with the administration of justice in which the lowest chimene subordinates did not levy a daily black mail from the gaming houses, & that there were also organised bonds of vagabonds in the Rolong who also extorted daily sums from and similar establishments, thus we have. proved two immense evics

2026-05-18 00:47:38 · Baseline

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240

opinion that it is highly desirable to regulate the gaming houses in the

Colony

or in other words to tolerate

enactments,

that the uncurbed

their existence by legal for while granting toleration of garning houses might possibly aggravate certam wilts, Ithink

that a cantions and

concurrent.

stringent - rrent legislation might remedy those evils, and preserve to the community at large the benefits that necessarily arise from

air

increased revenue and a more

efficient police. Seven tenths of the native population at the : time gamble

more or

prevent

or less clandestinely

and will continue to do so, for the police, serving to circumstances over which the Government has

Aro

control,

viz.,

chinate, scarcity of respectable

Curopeans, unfitues of the chinese character for police purposes-

Never

will

be able to evercise that thorough

surveillance over a

densely crowded

population which is necessary for the suppression of gaming. From an investigation which recently took place at the Police office it appeared, that there was not a single office connected with the administration

of justice in which the lowest chimene subordinates did not levy a daily black mail from the gaming houses,

& that there were also organised bonds of vagabonds in the Rolong who also extorted daily sums from

and

similar establishments, thus we

have.

proved

two immense evics

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