State Lotteries For Hospitals

Northern Advocate, 8 July 1938, Page 7

State Lotteries For Hospitals

[Special to “Northern Advocate. I '] AUCKLAND, This Day.

A suggestion that State lotteries and sweepstakes be introduced in New Zealand to finance the public hospitals of the Dominion was made at a: conference of local bodies held in Auckland last night. Mr E. F. Andrews, a member of the City Council, moved that “in view of the necessity for maintaining every facility in the care and treatment of the sick and needy, ft is the opinion of this meeting that the Government might consider to its advantage the advisability-of providing all the finance required for the administration and maintenance of hospital services by means of State-conducted sweepstakes and lotteries.” The motion also suggested that a referendum should be taken on the question at the general election.

Mr Andrews said that at present large sums were raised by means of the totalisator tax without complaint, and he pointed to the manner in which the system of financing hospitals by State lotteries was applied in Australia. that every year thousands of pminds left New Zealand for the Tasmanian sweepstakes, and he had been informed that New Zealand contributions constituted 38 per cent, of the total. If a referendum were taken, he felt there would be an overwhelming majority in favour of the innovation.

The Mayor of Takapuna, Mr J. Guiniven, said he thought such a scheme would be placing a premium upon gambling. Miss Ellen Melville, a member of the City Council, expressed the opinion that the local body representatives should not be asked to express an opinion on Jhe question without consulting the people with whom they wore concerned, and the conference unanimously decided to defer consideration.