STATE LOTTERIES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXII, Issue 8313, 29 February 1912, Page 6

STATE LOTTERIES.

The French Government has just scided to authorise no more lotteries, ia the New South Wales Parliament is just thrown out a motion in favour establishing State lotteries; but in ew Zealand these institutions flourish, he totalisator is nothing but a species 'State lottery. It is sanctioned" by w, and the State derives revenue om it. The ballot system of allocatg Crown lands to applicants is an;faer, and perhaps more objectionable, rm of State lottery. The totalisator bad enough, with its encouragement : gambling; but, after all, ,if people iH risk their money on the results of. )rse racing, they may as well do;, it ider Government control. The ballot < om Crown lands is, however, a form lottery that cannot be justified. The j ;ate, under that system, is gambling, ith the most valuable public asset. pon-- the drawing of that lottery somo; w people are enriched while many are duced to a condition bordering on sspair. This is no exaggeration, xses have been known in which a inner in this State lottery has been atice offered £1,000.f0r his prize. The, ct that the applicant pays nothing r his lottery ticket does not alter the se. The ballot is a lottery, and imrgh it is one by which the State wss nothing, and in not a few cases ses heavily, it is, nevertheless, an unst and demoralising method of disusing of Crown lands. We do not say nt the auction or tender system 9iild be preferable. We have no plan suggest, but we do say that the balfc system should be abandoned. It nnot be beyond the wit of man to ivise a more equitable means of choosg desirable settlers. At present there no choice, but the thing is left to md Chance. It is useless to deploree growth of the gambling spirit as tig as the Government directly encour;es it by legalising the totalfsator and « land ballot. Here is a task for the formers, to lift the heavy stigma nn our Dominion of being so far be- ] nd France in the matter of State j stories.