LOTTERIES AND ART UNIONS.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15339, 24 July 1915, Page 13

LOTTERIES AND ART UNIONS.

— a DEPUTATION TO THE MAYOR. A deputation, consisting of the RevH- E. Bellhonso (president), Rev. H. A. Job (secretary), Key. J. J. North, and Rev. J. J_t_rfion (members) of the Ministers' Association.', waited on tho Mayor (Mr H. Holland) yesterday to enter a protest against the promotion of* lotteries and art unions for the purpose of augmenting patriotic funds. THE ASSOCIATION'S RESOLUTION. Mr Bellhouse, after reading the,,rc•"solution arrived at by the Association (already published) said that their attention had been called to a meeting °j the committee connected with theItiver Bank Flower 'Show, at which -t was decided to hold an art union, at which motor-cars and houses wen* proposed as prizes in an art union. He did not think it necessary to defend the Association for any lack of patriotism, but they considered it their duty not to encourage a vice that they, with most citizens, regarded us a menace to the best interests of the community. Mr North said tnat it was not through any lack of sympathy with the desire to raise funds for patriotic purposes that they wero present, but the particular re;isoii was to ask Mr Holland, as chief magistrato, if he wero prepared to see the law of tho country frequently violated in this city.' That was the position, as the objects to be disposed by the proposed art union wero not object-- of art. It was monstrous that the law of the country .should be violated, openly and boldly without so much as an apology to anybody. It the laws were to bo retained they mu=t be respected, and as the Mayor (as chief magistrate) held a position of r*reat responsibility they desired that ho should bo seized of tho situation, and tako what steps ho considered noces.sa.-y to oopo with it, The laws regarding nrt unions had been onei'lv broken with the connivance of a Minister of the Crown. "I want to say plainly," Mr North continued, "that Sir Francis Bell Impacted as dictator of the country. To some extent he is an administrator. He has, apparently, told the police people that they aro not to prosecute fo*breaches of the ("Jaming Act. In different centres—Dunedin,' Wellington, and the ,Wairarapa—the law has been openly and boldly violated in regard to art unions and lotteries. We are here to say that the action of Sir Fz-ancis Bell is the action of a dictator and not that of a responsible politician. We have a right to expect that tho law •.hall b«* resnect<~d at arv rate, within our own boundaries. They c*esired Mr Holland, as chief magistrate of the city, to discover jf the country is coins; to tolerate the dictatorship of Sir Francis 8011, and the supineness of the Police Department or if tlie lav.- a, to art unions and lotteries is to bo *M*forred." Mr Paterson spoke to the same effect. THE MAYOR'S REPLY. The Mayor thanked the deputation for placing their views before him. tno question was a serious one, and he viewed the position with considerable anxiety. It was news to him that the River Carnival Committe had euggested an art union of mi .-cars and houses.: the original idea was to have a real day's sport on tho river, sell sweets and goods to augment the Patriotic Fund. The deputation would agree that the fund required augmentation. The gambling spirit, he believed, was spreading. In one city a'bazaar was held, but tho peopio could not be induced to buy the goods even at a lowprice, and they had to be raffled. The matter placed before him by the deputation, lie was sorry to say, was quite out of his control. The Municipal Corporations' Act gave him no power excepting the exercise of his personal influence. The matter was one for the police, and all he could do was to lay tlie. representations of the deputation before the Superintendent of Police aud see what could be done. As much as ho desired to see the Patriotic Fund sti-engthened, he would be sorry if it could not be dono .without recourse to raffles: but he believed such recourse was not necessaz-y. He urdertook to Bee tho Supei-intendent of Police on the matter. f Mr North asked if tho Mayor would discover from the Commissioner of Police, or tho Superintendent, if Sir Francis Bell had given specific instructions that the police aro to withhold their hand. It would interest the community fo know if Sir Francis Bfll had taken upon himself tlie role of dictator and abrogated the law on his own authority. The Mayor made a note of tho request. TO TflE EDITOR. OF "THE TRESS.'' Sir,—Your len_in_ article in this morning's issue, under the above heading, calls for a slight rejoinder. You apparently question the patriotism of the members of tho Association Localise they havo seen fit to criticise certain methods adopted in various parts of the Dominion to raiso fundfor patriotic* purposes. ' You surely do not seriously impugn tho patriotic ai*dour of tlie ministers of this city, as represented by the As. sociation! 1 venture to affirm that no body of men in Christchurch realises moro acutely the gravity of the present struggle and tho stupondousnoss of the issues at stake. And this appreciation of the gravity of tho situation is constantly in evidenco in their public ministrations and in their efforts to influence others to shapo their conduct accordingly. No more stirring recruiting appeals havo been delivered anywhere" than in some of tho pulpits of members-"of tho Association. But reporters did not happen to be present, and hence the appeals did not obtain the advertisement of public notice. May I remind you. -Sir. that it, was under. tho auspices of the .Association that- that splendid collection was taken up in Christchurch i:i October la-st for the Belgium Fund, whereby over £1100 was transmitted from the churches represented by tho Association alone. That fact alone suffices to show- that the churches have not been altogether wanting in organised effort in connexion with the war. Thero arc few of our churches, too, in which Red Cross -organisations are not at work week by week for the assistance of our wounded soldiery, and valiant results havo been accomplished in this connexion. The members o* the Association yield to none in the gcni-i-cne-S of their patriotic devotion." What they do deprecate- is the adoption of methods to promote patriotio funds which, they • ai*e persuaded, are calculated to 'cave behind an undesirable aftermath when the -war is over. Hence the recent action they have taken.—Yours etc., Hi J>. BEU-HOrsE. " President Christchurch Ministers' Association. St. Albans. July 23rd, 101-.