REV. J. J. NORTH AND STATE GAMBLING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 190, 6 May 1908, Page 4

REV. J. J. NORTH AND STATE GAMBLING.

J,, North, the minister of the Baptist Church in VivianStreet, is a ' real . .terror j;o, gamblers and' gambling, and "i'noro . jwwer'' to him." But! there -is a form 'of. gambling goilig- on' ,in,,tho Dominion■ and daily, "increasing •' in" volumo,whicli . I believe ; ho - has not yet touohed upon,'and yet it is perhaps more reprehensible than "two-up," "fan-tan," horso and pony racing, or bazaars, etc. I refer to Stato. or ■Government gambling carried ,011 for many years, tho prizes' being blocks of Government land, and more , recently dwelling houses, erected, by the Government in different parts of the colony havo been put into tho ballot-box as prizes for the lucky winners. ' A recent case was tho _oight houses orected near ,Coroniandel Street in this city. The rush for tickets in the State land lottery is not to obtain land at-its market value, but to obtain it for next to nothing, and sell wllon convenient-at its market price to those who'aro willing to work and pay for, it. A friend of mine wont into ono of these' State land gambles a short timo ago and drew a' ticket for about 100 acres of land, worth at tho. market price about £20 per acre. Tho cist"' ' to' him 'about £4 per acre. All tlio condemnation poured,-out by the Rev. J. J. North against gatoWing in'various forms applies', equally to'-wh'at<tpok place in regard to the tho. eight houses near Coromandel Street in this city the other day, and I. for ..one do hope, . that , our eloquent friend will lift lip'his powerful .voico against State gambling iniquity in all its forms, arid not.confino his attention to the small fry nlone, .'as' State gambling is increasing very fast. —I am,.etc.; WATCHMAN. May 1, 1908.