CURSE OF MONTE CARLO.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 3 October 1907, Page 4

CURSE OF MONTE CARLO.

HAUNT OF THE WORLD'S ROGUES AND FOOLS. The suggestion made in England last month that the gambling rooms at Monte Carlo should be suppressed by the Powers of Europe attracted widespread attention. Mr Max Pemberton, the novelist, who is an authority on Monte Carlo, said the diplomatic situation would make any such action difficult. "I cannot pronounce an opinion on a crime that is still untried." he said, "but one thing is clear —Monte Carlo is the haunt of every adventurer and adventuress in the world. It is astounding how many big swindles and thefts have been planned at Monte Carlo. The obvious curse of the place is that fools go there to make money, out of the tables, and rogues go there to make money out of the fools. The atmosphere is most demoralising to the young people, who lose their heads, and also all sense of the value of money. Ano- , ther great evil is that of pure English ■ girls succumbing to the atmosphere. They are often brought in contact at the tables with undesirable persons, with whom they actually converse. The Government of every country is perfectly aware that .Monte Carlo should be suppressed, but the diplomatic situation makes action impossible, and France, under whose protection Monte Carlo exists, is placed in a most difficult position. The authorities at Monte Carlo do their best to preserve order in the rooms, but it is perfectly impossible to keep out rogues of "both sexes. ' Whenever you have unrestricted gambling you will have attendant crime. The 1 suicides at Monte Carlo I regard as only a minor part of the evil. There must be thousands of tragedies in all parts of Europe which could lie traced back to the gambling rooms at Monte Carlo. I am convinced that me suppression of Monte Carlo would prove a more practical and nobler work for humanity than the advancement of impossible propositions at the Hague Peace Convention.