NEW DEVELOPMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 238, 7 October 1932, Page 7

NEW DEVELOPMENT.

Serious Turn of Gambling Craze At Home. AUTHORITIES CONOERNED. LONDON, October G. There has been a serious development of the gambling craze in Britain with the opening of totalisator clubs, of which 100 are now operating in London and many more in the provinces. Already the police have closed several of these clubs, but the majority are well conducted and pay out proper odds. Most of the clubs decline to provide drink, but others are serious rivals to neighbouring public houses. The membership fee is one shilling a year. The members include many women and even girls'.

SWEEP FOR HOSPITALS. BRITAIN" WOULD AGREE. (Received 9.80 a.m.) LONDON, October 0. The "Daily Express" says that the British Hospitals' Association has accepted an offer of 25 per cent from the proceeds of a Continental lottery on condition that the promoters' expenses do not exceed 2 per cent. It is intended to use the proceeds for expansion and not maintenance. HOSPITAL GIFTS. ANONYMOUS DONOR REVEALED RUGBY, October 6. The anonymous donor who 12 years ago presented £32,000 to the Middlesex Hospital was identified at tho Medical School dinner on .Tuesday evening as

Major J. J. Astor. Also, it was announced that Mr. S. A. Courtauld had just presented a further gift of £20,000, making his total contribution £100,000, to aid the scientific departments connected with the hospital.

Major Astor, a younger brother of Viscount Astor (owner of the "Observer"), is the chief proprietor of "The Times." Educated at Eton and Oxford, he joined the Life Guar.de and served three years as aide-de-camp to the Viceroy of India. He married the widow of the late Lord Charles Mercer-Nairno, and has three sons. He represents Dover in the House of Commons, having been elected ia the General Election las't October by a majority of almost 20,000 votes.