ILLEGAL ART UNION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 287, 15 September 1933, Page 8

ILLEGAL ART UNION

DISPOSAL OF A MOTOR CAR. TWO TICKET SELLERS FIXED. (Special to the "Guardian.") CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. At the Police Court Yesterday, before Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M-, William Thomas Charles Wortley and Si|)phen Francoist Willard were each charged with selling certain tickets giving authority to compete in a lottery or scheme whereby a motor car was to he disposed of by chance, contrary to the Gaming Act, 1908. Mr C. S. Thomas, appearing for each • of the defendants, pleaded guilty. Sub-Inspector Edwards said the offence concerned the sale of tickets in the art union of the Wellington St. John Ambulance Association, in which a motor car was to have been the prize. The tickets were one penny each. A sergeant of police purchased one from a seller—one of the defendants—in High Street. On a later date *he purchased a second ticket, that time from the other defendant. There was very little on the ticket to indicate in what manner the motor car would be disposed of. Wnen the tickets were sold in Christchurch at first the police issued a warning that the continuance of their sale would lead to prosecution. The tickets were withdrawn, but later the two defendants came to Christchurch *and sold tickets. The Minister for Internal Affairs had not given permission for the disposal of the motor car by raffle. On August 24 the drawing took place in the Opera House, Wellington, the procedure resembling that used in the drawing of larger art unions for which permission was . obtained. The winning ticket— DK2233—had not been produced, but that did not justify a " suggestion that, as the motor car had not'been disposed of, no offence had been committed. That the motor car was not claimed was not the fault of the promoters—their intention was to dispose of it by raffle. , For the defendants Mr Thomas said that there had been nothing surreptitious about the sale of the < tickets. For the promoters the are union had been a chapter of accidents. The Wellington Tramway Entertainers, who had done a great deal for chanty, had undertaken to assist the Wellington St. John Ambulance Association. At first it was the intention to dispose oi a motor car for shooting competitions. That was ruled to be illegal, and the art union was started as the organisers having secured the motor car, were "in the soup." The Minister tor Internal Affaire had said the art union would not be permitted, but the promoters had to go on with it. Speaking of the profit from the art union Mr Thomas said that the net profit' to the St. John Ambulance Association, expected to run into thousands of pounds, was less -than £IOOO. Not one of the men selling the tickets received one penny for that work. Of the two defendants one was a St. John Ambulance man out of work and the other was a member of the Wellington Tramway Entertainers, who had given up his two weeks' annual leave to sell the tickets in Christ- ' church. The case was not the first concerning the art union. In Auckland one seller had been convicted and fined 30s and costs and several others ordered to pay costs. Cases were said to be pending in Dunedni and also in Wellington. ' Mr Moslev said that the fact icmained that before the art union was started the Minister for Internal Affairs warned the promoters that it would not be permitted. Each defendant would be convicted and fined £2 and costs.