GIGANTIC LOTTERY

Evening Star, Issue 20985, 26 December 1931, Page 11

GIGANTIC LOTTERY

“WORLD BUND TRUST" Plans have been completed recently, at a conference in London for a sweepstake which the organisers believe will be the greatest the world has _ yet known. It wifi be called the World Blind Subscription Fund, and the headquarters will be at Danzig. The venture has been known to the authorities of the Jubilee Institute for the Blind at Auckland for some time, but the director, Mi 1 Clutha Mackenzie, says it is not regarded with favour, and the institute has no desire to participate in any way (says the ‘Herald’). It feels that in any case far too large a proportion of the takings would be swallowed up by the syndicate, which has no connection with the World Council of the Blind. For more than a year the people responsible liavo been working on the details, but it was not until recently that the last of the many difficulties were overcome, states an English paper. Originally it was intended to have a sweepstake on the last Derby, but a beginning will now be made with the Grand National, which will be run at Aintree on March 18 next. Already, however, tickets are being printed for a second sweep on the 1932 Derby, aud it is possible if success is met that in coming years there will bo a sweepstake on the majority of tha big races. The World Blind Trust is a company formed to finance the undertaking, and it will be governed by three managers and four representatives of the World Blind Subscription Fund. . The fund is described as a charitable organisation formed to receive' moneys from the sweepstake.” It has four managers, two of whom are English. These managers are controlled by a committee, whose members are drawn from Great Britain, the United States of America, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, the dominions, and various Continental countries. j . It is proposed that every blind institution in the world will be represented on the council, but the allocation of funds will be in the hands of the chief committee, who will award the amounts as the needs of the difiex - - ent countries demand. In addition,' the Free State of Danzig, which has granted a twenty years' concession to the organisers, has appointed a commissioner who will act as a sort of supervisor. The mam object of the sweepstake is to benefit the blind. When the time comes for a distribution it will bear a certain relation to the total amount subscribed. What this will bo is naturally a matter for guesswork, but as tickets will ho sold in every country in Europe, in Britain, in the dominions, and m North and South America, it is considered possible that the aggregate will be several million pounds. , , . The tickets for the Grand National sweepstake are now on sale in many, countries. They state that the .fund is under the chairmanship of Mr G.' F.Mowatt, British member of the executive Committee of International Blind Congresses, and Mr C. G. Henderson, president of the All India Blind-Asso-ciation. . , , The tickets are priced at 10s, ana the amounts received from subscribers, calculated in accordance with the concession, will be distributed as follows Eighty-five per cent., after deduction thereout of the audited expenses, will be distributed as prizes; the balance of 15 per cent, will be paid to the World Blind Trust; for every £IOO.OOO subscribed £30,000 will be awarded as a first prize, £15,000 ns a second prize, and £IO,OOO as a third prize. The drawers of all horses not nodared forfeit by March 8 will also receive money prizes, but if , the sum available does not exceed £IOO,OOO it is stated that “the entire sum will bo the prize unit, and will bo distributed in the proportion of the prizes out of the prize unit .of £100,000.” Should the race not take place the prize money will be divided equally among the drawers of horses.