STATE LOTTERIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20651, 25 August 1930, Page 11

STATE LOTTERIES.

DISCUSSION IN VICTORIA. EXAMPLE OF QUEENSLAND. MINISTER'S INVESTIGATIONS. [FROM 01,'tl OWN CORRESPONDENT.] SYDNEY, August 11. The Victorian Government, finding it extremely difficult to make ends meet, is " biting" at a Stale lottery proposal, though no member of the Labour Cabinet has yet been brave enough to openly advocate its establishment. Any proposal for a Stale lottery invariably brings a protest from Hie Churches and other bodies anxious to preserve the morals of the community. However, a Victorian Minister has just returned from a very exhaustive study of the Queensland State lottery, and while ho docs not make any recommendation to the Victorian Government he has been unable to hide the fact that he was very favourably impressed by what was being done in tho northern State. He says that the lottery there has the support of all the political parties and that it would be practically impossible to defy public opinion and abolish it.

The Victorian Minister says he is satisfied that the figures which he has presented furnish " ample food for thought, more especially to our much harassed hospital committees, who are bravely carrying the major part of the burden of our hospital charities in these depressed times." The Queensland lottery has been in existence for 10 years and during that time £2,146,976 has been paid into the Tmikl for hospital, motherhood and child endowment purposes. The yearly proceeds have been £200,000.

As a result of the success of the lottery the system of voluntary giving in Queensland is practically non-existent. The income tax derived by the Government from (lie sale of tickets is approximately £50,000 a year, and the bulk of this money is provided bv people who otherwise would not pay anything on account of income tax. The sale of tickets each year amounts to about £1.000.000 and incidentally the business provides employment for a fairly large staff. It also provides the Commonwealth with more than £20,000 a year through the Post Office.

New South Wales Governments have always been strenuously opposed to State lotteries. This does not prevent the people of New South Wales from having a little gamble. It is an amazing fact that at least one-third of tho tickets in the Queensland lotteries are purchased by the people of New South Wales. Therefore there exists the anomalous position of New South Wales helping to pay for Queensland hospitals. And goodness only knows how badly the New South Wales hospitals need those funds. At least £IOO of New Zealand money was received in June for Queensland lottery tickets.