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New Zealand Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 3263, 21 October 1897, Page 2

A correspondent suggests that a State Lottery be instituted as a nieans tp thp end of putting down muob.of the gambling and betting on races which prevails at present. We are very much afraid that the cure would be infinitely worse than the dispose. If (hoso who say 'they are, in earnest in this matter wish to grapple with the question they should tqrn their attention in the direction of coping (Ist) with the circulation of invitations to jnyest in consultations held jn Tasmania, and (2nd) with the " tote shop" and ‘‘ street tote” evils. And here we would solicit the intervention of the new Commissioner of Police. It is perfectly, well known that in every centre of population of any cense, quenoe from hundreds to thousands of pounds are sent away to the promoters of the consultations, or “ sweeps,” which have been legalised in Tasmania, after every other colony ha? 4 e< fiar e fi such practices to be illegal, and we ano. flf opinion that means exist which can and ahbhW prevent the sending of money to Tasmania fcr investing in these illegal lotteries. Then as to “ tote shops ” and “ tote " betting in the.streets,. we have again and again called attention to the fact that it goes' on unchecked here in Wellington, as in other centres of population. On the eve of every race meeting of imnorfijijje there may , be seen dozens of persons carryblr betting in Willis street without let of hindrance. True it is that the police “ woye on" the bookmakers and spielers who infest the footpaths; but it is an empty,farge, and the game of wagering at totalisator odds goes on as merrily as though the police were a thousand miles away. If prosecution? were instituted under the existing law we should speedily witness a cessation of the practice which is at present a scandal. Our correspondent is anxious for the substitution of-a State Lottery for, the gambling which at present goes on, on tnc grounds that men wiU gamble. Bv.ery other nation—excepting a fljmqr E ropean States—have found- that lb 13 u 1 .desirable to encourage State Lotteries, and, from the evidence adduced, : wo are of opinion that their decision has been wise.

“ What lias made the Scottish nation what it is ?” asked Sir Bobort Stoiffc, And the Minister of Lands replied t ’* Parritoh-'' Whereat there was a peal of laughter. Bat there was no necessity for the outburst of hilarity. Many a'; true word is spoken in Jest, and even if the Hon J. McKenzie was jesting, there was so much truth in the word he interjected that members might well consider the statement and realise -what it really meant. There are hundreds of successful Scotsmen the world over Whe owe their .success in life to the lesson of frugality and cheerfulness under adversity which the homely porridge pot has inculcated. “ What though on hamely fare we dine, wear hodden grey and a' that 1” Scotsmen have learned to look upon and repeat these words of the-ploughman poet with pardonable pride. To the homely fare of porridge, eked out with other and even humbler fare, thousands of the natives of the " land of brown heath and shaggy wood” have owed their success'inafter life, and we know that both the Hon 'J. McKenzie and Sir Eobert Stout will appreciate to the full the words that have been prompted by the text they have furnished us with. There are men here in Wellington who can vouch ,for the stories, which might almost be regarded-as mere romance, balling. of self-sacrifice in the humblest homes of Scotland, that the laddies of the family, might go out into the world armed, for the battle of life and the struggle, for supremacy.. Well would it bo for our young people if they could be persuaded to follow in the footsteps of their fathers and content ths>maolves with the bare necessities of life *ia thfl hope that they might one day win an independence for themselves. Laughable though it rw be to the unthinking, there is a great truth In the statement that the secret of the success of Scotsmen is the. porridge pot. Instances could be given of students at the Universities of Scotland who have subsisted on the meal taken with them to their humble - lodgings in the school centres ; but there is no need to enter into particulars. There is a great moral lesson in the jest of Tuesday in.the. House-of Representatives, and we would that it might be home in upon the minds and consciences of onr own laddies.

A letter, written from Coolgardie, 'Western Australia, and dated 30th August, has been handed to ns by a Ksw Plymouth resident. It tells of the bad nanio—rapidly growing worse—which Hew Zealand butter has on the markets of the neighbouring colony, and we draw special

attention to the matter in the hope that something may be done to put a check upon a system which is apparently doing much to prejudice, if not to*altogether destroy, a trade that holds for our producers great possibilities in the future. The Western Australian correspondent states that the butter sent thither from New Zealand will not keep, although it is invariably in good condition when opened. He avers that climate cannot be the cause, for at the time of which he was writing the temperature was like that of England in springtime. “What can be the reason of this ?’* asks the writer of the letter, and this is a question which our producers must answer. Either it is that an inferior kind ot butter has been deemed good enough for the West Australian market, or there is some fault in the material used which only becomes apparent alter the butter leaves the cooling chambers. There is a big market in the sister colony for our butter, cheese and other small farm products, but if we deliberately endanger the trade by the sending over of an inferior article we must expect only one result, namely, the rejection of any and everything bearing the New Zealand mark.

It would appear that there is to be just as great waste of time over the discussion of the Financial Statement as that which took place when the Address-in-Beply was before the House. Apparently it is not a question of what the Statement does or does not contain; but that members are determined to air imaginary grievances and to reiterate for the most part old charges which have been worn threadbare, and in support of which not one fact has been adduced. Well may the taxpayer cry aloud: “A plague o* both your Houses/* list us take for example Sir Robert Stout's declaration concerning tb® promised setting up of a Royal Commission by the Government to enquire into the condition and working of the Police Force of the colony. We were, as a people, led to believe that if a Commission were set up, the olamourers for enquiry would be satisfied. The Government, acting in sympathy with the new Commissioner and the clamant few who have been demanding a Royal Commission, has stated that such enquiry shall be held, and then immediately we i have the declaration from Sir Robert—-re-presenting, we suppose, the Prohibition Party—that a Commission composed of Me Tunbridge and one or more of the Stipendiary Magistrates of the colony will not suffice! Nay, Sir Robert goes further and brands the Magistracy with corruption. Members of Parliament—and rightly so—are concerned about any reflection that maybe made upon their personal honour, yet they do not hesitate to declare from their places in the House that there are men on the Judicial Bench who are so dishonest that they are incapable of discharging a solemn duty. On reflection, we should imagine that Sir Robert will con-, sider it necessary to express regret for having been led into tq© making of so unwarrantable a charge against men of known probity and honour. If he feels that they are what he seeks to make them out to be, then it is his duty to impeach them and have them removed from their high office.