A STATE LOTTERY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21102, 12 August 1930, Page 14

A STATE LOTTERY.

TO THE EDITOB. Sxa, —The Hawke’s Bay Racing Club is right. The racing clubs and sports generally are and have been the chopping clock for the present and past Governments and are likely to be until the sporting fraternity wakes up to its interests. The liberal-minded' man is taxed 0s Od on every bottle of whisky. Fifteen per cent, of his investments at the races, amusement tax at the theatres, football matches, and the pictures, whilst our friends the “ wowsers " and killjoys get off scot free. The Government has “missed the bus” hopelessly in everything from the £70,000,000 they were going to raise right down to our recent Customs increases. The only gleam of hope on the horizon is the matter of totalisator investments by telegram to the racecourse. Whilst condemning the Government, I must throw a bouquet at the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr P. A. de la Perrelle), who is the most liberal-minded Minister we have had for many a day. His attitude with regard to art unions is to be commended. The killjoys are a small minority in the community.' They make a big noise and our politicians have been prone to- take notice of them. Now, will the Minister go one better by bringing down a Bill in favour of a State lottery? The amount of money that leaves this Dominion is amazing. I have already invested £3 myseif on the forthcoming Caulfield _ and Melbourne Cups, and will do a bit more on the strength of a tenner I won last year. In practically every institution, workshop, and office there are syndicates who send regularly for tickets, apart from thousands of individuals, who send away their good money to TattersalTs, the big Calcutta, and other sweeps. This outpouring of wealth is steadily going on and the authorities cannot stop it without a censoring of all letters, which would not be tolerated by a long-suffering public. The money sent to Hobart for Tnttersall s tickets keeps Tasmania afloat. We could easily *top New Zealand money going out of the country by instituting a lottery and at the same time secure a large sum of money for unemployment relief, charities, etc., without inflicting hardship on anyone or offending the moral code. It would certainly touch the susceptiblities of the killjoys, who have their pockets buttoned np anyhow. It seems to bo their mission jn life to grpuse, but this Tattersail’s business they carefully ignore, as with every other alleged evil they do not see. Strong representations should be made to members of Parliament to have this State lottery promulgated at once,— I am- etc,, AbaGOIT. Dunedin, August 11,