Bishop Condemns Gambling

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 186, 7 August 1941, Page 9

Bishop Condemns Gambling

MONEY FOR PATRIOTIC FUNDS NELSON, Aug. 2. Gambling as a means or raisin* Money for patriotic funds was condemned by the Bishop of Nelson, th« Rt. Rev. P. W. Stephenson, during his synod address. He advocated taxatioa as a means of raising the money. “The demands on belligerent countries include not only the fighting personnel and the harnessing of the manpower of the nation, but also the use of its material resources,” said the Bishop. “The money required is mostly obtained by taxation, but in this country a separate Patriotic Fund aim* ing at obtaining £ 1-million during the present year by means other than taxation has been established. “There cannot be many men and women of standing and principle who are net gravely concerned at the way in which gambling methods flaunted Ucmselves in the effort to raise this sum. Methods of gambling that the Legislature in time of peace ho# either banned or restricted to certain places and times, were brought into our business thoroughfares to the offence of great numbers of our citizens and to the damage of the moral sense of the young in the community. These things Should not be. A time of war is no time for loosening moral restraint. It is a time for conserving all the moral and spiritual forces of the community. ‘‘l believe it is a good thing that ’ a semi-independent body line the National Patriotic Board should exist. It is able to deal with needs and comforts of the troops in a way that official channels would find difficult. I cannot, however, see why, if more money is required for the board’s needs, it should net be procured by taxation and handed over by the taxing authority to the board for administration. Such a method would, I am sure, be a great relief to the majority oi citizens. Many of the methods adopted this year for the raising of the Patriotic Funds were subversive of morale as well as being uneconomic, both of money and time, and divisive in their influence on the community. "No-or.e would question the devotion with which local committees pursued Iheir end. Surely, however, such energies could be better applied elsewhere if the money required could be raised through the channels of taxation, and at considerably less cost This need not dry up the source of the gifts for the purpose. Many people will still wish to give to the fund and the virtues of such gifts in future would be thßt they would be 'voluntary,’ which I doubt could hardly be said of much money raised in the past. “Whether the method of taxation is adopted or not the duty cf Christian people is clear. They must set their face strenuously against sharing in gambling in any of its forms and bring int 0 the body politic a witness that will make itself felt throughout thf country.”