BAN UPON EUCHRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19891, 9 March 1928, Page 10

BAN UPON EUCHRE.

AUCKLAND PLAYERS PROTEST WORTHY CAUSES MAY SUFFER. NO QUESTION OF GAMBLING. Claiming there was no harm in a game which engendered the social spirit and had no effect in the encouragement of gambling, a meeting of card players in Auckland last evening protested at the ban placed on progressive euchre tournaments by a recent decision of Mr. Justice Adams in Christchurch. Resolutions of protest will bo forwarded to the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Internal Affairs.

"A few weeks ago a progressive euchre tournament I was interested in was stopped," said Mr. L. H. Crawford, convener of the meeting. "We had built a new school out of funds directly derived from such tournaments. There is still a mortgage on the school, and our hopes of wiping it off have now vanished," The speaker commented on the fact that' tournapients had been stopped in some districts, while no action had been taken in other places. They should press for an amendment of the law.

Explaining that ho represented 200 euchre players in the Onehunga and Te Papapa districts, Mr. N. Bouzard said it' was not right that the freedom of the people should be hampered by one person, Mr. Justice Adams, particularly as the Judges themselves differed as to whether or not progressive euchre was illegal. A hall at Te Papapa had been built from funds raised by euchre tournaments, but the ban had placed the committee in a serious position. Mr. Crawford: Mr. Justice Adams had to go back 75 years ta find a law to ban euchre. It also bans progressive bowls and all progressive games—even a waltzing competition. " I have no desire to foster anything of a gambling nature—the Government has a monopoly of that, and is welcome to it," said the chairman, Mr. A. Nixon. "We will support the Government in its endeavour to stop euchre parties with £lO prizes, but we want to keep our social parties where only small prizes are offered. Euchre has brought a better feeling among the people than all the politicians." He expressed the view that the legislation should be amended to control euchre parties by stipulating the maximum value of the prizes. A resolution of protest was carried. This expressed agreement with the Government's desire to eliminate the gambling element, but pressed for the retention of euchre parties for worthy objects, such as school and social funds, where only nominal prizes were offered.