TATTERSALL’S LOTTERY

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27303, 20 March 1954, Page 8

TATTERSALL’S LOTTERY

MR HOLLAND REPLIES TO MR COSGROVE

“DISCUSSIONS PLEASANT AND DIGNIFIED” (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 19.. “My discussions with Mr Cosgrove and his officials when they visited New Zealand were of a pleasant and dignified nature, and I cannot understand the reported reference now to ‘knifing in the back,’ ” said the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) commenting today on reported remarks by the Premier of Tasmania (Mr R. Cosgrove) on the recent lottery negotiations.

Mr Holland said he was not going to become involved in the argument between two Australian States or with Mr Cosgrove. “The facts so far as New Zealand i$ concerned are quite simple,” he said. “Mr Cosgrove agreed to pay New Zealand a certain sum of money out of the sale of Tattersall’s tickets in New Zealand. Since then Tattersall’s have decided to transfer their headquarters from Tasmania to Victoria, with the result that Mr Cosgrove cannot do what was originally proposed. “The fact that the headquarters of Tattersall’s is in one or other of the Australian States is not a matter for discussion by me. “What I was concerned with in my discussions with Mr Cosgrove was to make plain the New Zealand Government’s decision that it would not view with approval and was not prepared to facilitate the extension of Australian lotteries in this country,” said Mr Holland.

He had not been advised of any firm date for the visit to New Zedland of the Premier of Victoria (Mr John Cain) and the general manager of Tattersall’s (Mr A. W. Hutchin), Mr Holland said.