IRISH SWEEPSTAKE

Hokitika Guardian, 23 November 1932, Page 2

IRISH SWEEPSTAKE

LUCKY NEW ZEALANDERS

LONDON, October 11

The total receipts for the Irish Hospitals sweepstake on the Caesarwitch were £3,624,448; land the prize-money amounted to £2,378,939. These figures were announced by Lord Powerscourt (chairman of the .Irish Free State Hospitals Committee) when,-the dtaw opened at Dublin on Oafjoper 7th. m

sum available /for prizes was lalloCfttpd as follows 23-prizes of £3o,oo^^^ll^ 23 . prizes of £ls>()(j().t.e , Aa^a|-',^' 23 prizes of £lo,QQQ; ; ’ietft!hi. '/*ss£ Drawers of 24 unplaced horses £1458 6s 8d each. 10 residual cash prizes of £7893 18s. 2300 cash prizes of £IOOO each. Ticket sellers ’prizes £46,000. The ticket-slellers’ prizes were thus made up: 23 sellers of .tickets drawing winning horse £IOOO each (£23,000). 23 sellers of tickets drawing second horse £750 each (£17,250). 23 sellers of tickets drawing third horse £250 each (£5750). Total, £46,000.

Lord Powerscourt said the amount payable to the public charitable hospitals (participating in the scheme and to the Minister for Local Government and Public Health to be applied to poor law hospitals and nursing organisations would be £679,584, Stamp duty amounting to £226,328 under the Finance Act, 1980, had been provided- for before arriving at this figure. The total expenses would not exceted 9:4 per cent, of the proceeds. For the of the draw there was a large attendance of visitors, and the huge room was decorated gaily to illustrate ancient Irish legends. Lord Powenseourt opened the proceedings with a shc-rt address, in which he declared tha-f the sweepstakes’ ship had returned to port, after its seventh world tour with a heavy cargo of relief for the sick poor and those -who were sufficiently lucky to win prizes.

“We have had rather a Tough , passage”, he continued. Some of us have felt ralther eiok from time to time owing. to the buffeting of the winds that have assailed us. Winds have blown on us- from every quarter, some expected! and some unexpected. We have suffered from the winds of trade depression, winds of jealousy, winds of upheavals, doubts, and fears, as Well as from the winds of spirited attacks. But we have got the ship safely to port again, and have astonished the world.”

'On the first day all the horses were drawn, and of the 620 counterfoils in this group 483 more addresses in Great Britain (124 being in London); 16 in the Irish Free State; 2 in New Zealand—namely, I. Domes (Auckland), whose ticket, A A 29791, drew Sandwich ; and F. -M. Ritchie, G.P.O. Box 970, Auckland, who drew Bonny Bright Ey*es -with ticket numbered A 823484. Of ten residual prizes of £7893 each, two came to London. In the consolation cash prize list (£IOO each), the New Zealanders were:

Drummond Syndicate, care e.s. Waipiata, Bluff. Mr H. Strode, Kyteburn, Otago. W. Neenan, Gisborne. Irish Paddy, 21 East Street, Newton, Auckland.

Sir William Nosworthy, Ashburton. Export Sydnicat-e, Newtown, Wellington. . “Happy Days,” Christchurch.

The figure® for the last Derby sweep werte: —Total receipts, £4,184,485. Prize-money, £2,804,552. Referring ibo the drop of £500,000 in receipts, Lord! Powerscourt said that those of them who were confirmed optimists knew perfectly well that they could never equal the prize, money of the last Derby sweepstake. In spite of trade depression and other obstacles, however, the total of the draw had exceeded that of the last Grand National. TREASURE SHIP’S CARGO. '

A correspondent present at the draw dlescribefi the procedure- for the benefit of those who have never seen the function. He writes;—By the side of the huge golden drum was placed ia little crystal drum in which were revolved little tubes containing the names of the horses in the race. A procession of white-clipped nurses, bearing golden bags packed with counterfoils through the hall to the drum, ga-ve the first touch of movement to the scene.

Through a Jong funnel l , th e tickets were pouring into the drum, land the dbors of the portholes were then closed. General' O'Duffy, the Chief of police, addressed.' file nurses' before they began their task. He told them that they all knew that they were honest, but they had 'to impress this fact also upon the world. rt: o© advised them as to the best way ! of removing the counterfoils from the drum, land said that if two counterfoils were inadvertently taken out in place of one both would be returned to the drum. The big hall was in semi-darkness—-savle for the concentrated light which beat down on a strange structure resembling an ancient galley. Behind the ipaint and plaster of the ship is the drum, which revolves fortunes. It is to the mythology of old Ireland that the promoters have gone in settling the stage for the draw. Their treasure ship is ia fairy boat, and over 220 girls are dressed as warriors and princes of ancient Ireland. From the shadows goddeses of mythology look down on the gigantic gamble. • Aroundl the walls of the hall are scenes from ■a score of cities. General O'Duffy directs the draw. At his command the drum turns; at

Ids word the nurses, standing in the property waves in front of the treasure ship, pick out the counterfoils, which mean riches. Before him sits Mr Jack o’Sheehan, the announcer, whose task it, is to read out every name of all the prize-winners. The secret of the sweep’s total was well kept to the very last moment before the draw began, when it was announced by Lord Powerscourt.

The nurses, in drawing the counterfoils from the drum, adopt this procedure : —They open the porthole with the left hand, insert the right iarm, slowly draw out. one counterfoil, hold it aloft until General O’Duffy collects it, and then close the porthole. If two counterfoils are drawn out at the same time, or a falls on the floor, the nurses call General O’Duffy,, and lie decides what shall he done.

The large drum containing the counterfoils has a she(l!l of sheet steel, and i« electrically revolved by speciallydesigned gearing. During rotation the counterfoils are raised to the top of the- drum by plates inside the shell. There are 24 doo-rs ia-t different points on the shell in rows of six.