MR. LANG'S LOTTERIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 21029, 13 November 1931, Page 13

MR. LANG'S LOTTERIES.

COMPLAINTS FROM GROCERS. INTERFERENCE WITH BUSINESS. Small grocers in Sydney, who give credit to neighbours, are worried by the success of the State lottery—success, that is measured by the number of lotteries and the. number of speculators iri them. Mr. Whiddon prefers to call them investors. Small grocers are very numerous. Almost all declare themselves to be "spot, cash traders," but they find that they must give some credit. The competition of the "cash and carry" shops has made the giving of that accommodation almost compulsory.

A correspondent says:—"The margin of profit on groceries is so small that customers who do not pay at the weekend cannot expect ari extension of credit. Many people, therefore, go to other small grocers in the neighbourhood, and, having promised faithfully to pay immediately, they are given credit as beforeMany such people are lottery speculators. They live in a land of hope, though not of glory. They envisage themselves as gazing spellbound at, a cheque for a huge amount, while a bareheaded reporter respectfully begs to be provided with some account of their stale of mind.

"The proem's, however, cannot live on rlreams, and they are writing to the newspapers to say l.hal unless the State lottery is suppressed they' must go out of business. There are not enough winners to keep them going. Butchers have not yet joined in this complaint in print, but they are understood to have similar difficulties."