CRAZE FOR SWEEPSTAKES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20925, 15 July 1931, Page 12

CRAZE FOR SWEEPSTAKES.

PROTEST BY PRESBYTERY. CONDEMNATION OF SYSTEM. A vigorous -protest against the present crazo for lotteries and sweepstakes was made by the Rev. W. Lawson Marsh at the meeting of the Auckland Presbytery last evening. The speaker expressed the opinion that the evil influence of lotteries and sweepstakes was being forwarded and extended by the publicity given to them. He said lie doubted if- the public knew that in the last Irish sweepstake, to which such a huge amount was contributed, only 2d in every shilling went to the hospitals. ,The amount spent in commissions equalled that which went to the hospitals. " The chairman of the British Hospitals' Association had announced the association's decision against the system, said Mr. Marsh, and Sir Arthur Stanley, treasurer of St. Thomas' Hospital, had said the real motive behind these proposals wag not concern for the hospitals, but to use the hospitals as a "smoke screen" for the legalising of gambling facilities. As a result of the sweepstake, public subscriptions to the Irish hospitals liad fallen by from 20 per cent, to 40 per cent. In other words, turning to gambling cut off a largo part of the ordinary charitable resources. Specious attempts were being made from time to time to establish something of the sort in New Zealand. They needed to reiterate again and again that this thing was not only demoralising and a cruel • temptation, but was bad business for the objects for which it was promoted and for the country. On Mr. Marsh's motion the presbytery carried a resolution calling attention to the varied and persistent propaganda on behalf of sweepstakes and lotteries, reaffirming the belief that the foundations of such, systems of raising money were radically wrong and vicious and requesting the press either to refrain from publishing reports of these schemes altogether or to publish the whole of the financial statements, so that the public might realise the results of all such ventures.