IRISH SWEEP SLUMP

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 October 1933, Page 7

IRISH SWEEP SLUMP

LESS SUPPORT FROM BRITAIN

DUBLIN, September 13.

The Irish Hospitals Trust authorities are worried. Great Britain, their greatest market for the sale of sweepstake tickets, is not responding to the call of the drum, and anxiety is felt that the prize money for this year’s Cambridgeshire (October 25) will be very much less th'an for previous races.

Receipts have been declining steadily since the Derby last year, when they reached their peak, but the decline in contributions for next month’s race is threatening to be serious. Britain hitherto has accounted for from 70 to 80 per cent, of the receipts. It is impossible to obtain from the authorities figures concerning the current sweep, but one is able, after a careful inquiry in many other quarters, to present 'certain facts which permit of only one cofistruction —that Britain is not giving her customary support, and that feverish efforts are being made, within less than three weeks of the closing date, to find markets in foreign countries, especially in America. The following facts speak for themselves z A highly competent Dublin agent has been engaged at a large salary to flood foreign countries with carefully prepared publicity. He has an office and a staff of three entirely for this work, which is in addition to the publicity work carried on for the benefit of Britain. , Another significant fact is the marked decrease in the size of the staff at Dublin, which numbered 3,300 the last sweep. There are a thousand fewer to-day. Again there is the personal e.xpei i<ence of individuals who send tickets to England. Many assert that the demand'from England has been alarmingly less, and that dozens of tickets are being returned by people unable to sell them. Figures for the last three sweeps are themselves eloquent. They are.-— Derby 1932, £4,000,000; Cesarewitch 1932, £3,500,000; Grand National 1933, £3,000,000. This represents a drop or £1,000,000 in a few months.