THE IRISH SWEEPSTAKE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21145, 31 March 1932, Page 10

THE IRISH SWEEPSTAKE.

TICKET SELLERS' « STRIKE." PROMPT RECEIPTS DEMANDED. Seines of English people who .-unveil in Dublin ru February 17 to pay large sums for tickets in the Free Slaie Hospitals Sweepstake on the Grand National declared a " strike." They arrived with pockets and attache cases stulfed with notes and counterfoils, but were told that owing to the huge final rush of subscriptions—which were to close on February 20—officials were unable to issue individual receipts for all the counterfoils handed in.

The officials said they would give a receipt for the total money paid and post the individual receipts later. The crowd of English men and women objected to this procedure and declared : " If we cannot have our receipts wo will not pay our subscriptions."

They then went to the offices of the Daily Mail. They said they had from £IO.OOO lo £15.000 in subscriptions and would not pay the money until they could get receipts for every ticket sold. They included visitors from London, Liverpool, Sunderland. Manchester, 'lorf]iiay, Newcastle, on 'J'yne, Doneaster. St. Helens and Burnley. One man carried £I4OO, another £I2OO, and a third £750. Civic Guards kept order among the. crowd round the Daily Mail offices until it was arranged for a deputation lo interview Captain Freeman, one of the chief officials of the sweepstake. He. explained that, it. was impossible to give individual receipts on the flav payment was made, and the visitors agreed to hand over their money on the promise that receipts would be sent, to them within a few days.

When John Williams, of Manchester, was fined at Dublin for disorderly conduct, it was stated that oai'lv on tho morning of February 17 receipts for sweepstake tickets lo the value ol (12000 weio lying in the road near where Williams and two girls wrro arguing. Williams said he was taking the receipts to England. He got them all back.