RIVAL LOTTERIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21829, 16 December 1932, Page 11

RIVAL LOTTERIES

OFFERS TO BRITISH HOSPITALS TWO BIG SCHEMES SIR A. STANLEY'S,STATEMENT. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, October 11. At a meeting of the Council of the British Hospital Association, which represents all the voluntary hospitals in England and Wales, it was decided that “the council will undertake to distribute any funds entrusted to them which may be the proceeds of lotteries or sweepstakes.” In view of this decision first steps have been taken towards the institution of two new sweepstakes as rivals to the Irish organisation. Both of them promise to devote a percentage of the proceeds to British hospitals and charities. One of these is a plan for running a series of great sweepstakes from Monte Carlo, the famous gambling centre on the Riviera, to, be called the “ Principality of Monaco Sweepstakes.” A quarter of the receipts from the sale of tickets is to be devoted to British hospitals and charities. An influential committee of prominent men in this country has been formed to deal with the distribution of the funds allocated for this purpose. The committee consists of Sir Charles Higham, Sir John Milbanke, Sir Walter Peacock, Colonel the Hon. Wilfrid Egerton. Sir Charles Highaft, in an interview, said that a well-known man had been invited to become chairman of the committee, which would meet as soon as his acceptance was received. It would act in a purely advisory capacity, and a firm of chartered accountants would be appointed to deal with the actual distribution.

“My friends and myself,” lie said, “ are in full agreement that it is necessary that as a vast public are desirous of taking part in sweepstakes the large sums of money now leaving this and other countries for the benefit of the Irish Free State and its charities alone should be participated in by our own hospitals and other worthy causes.”

Sir Charles added that it was estimated by the authorities in Monaco that the first sweepstakes should benefit our hospitals and charities by no less than £500,000.

Captain Spencer Freeman, organiser of the Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes, has resigned that position and is now suggesting a lottery scheme on behalf of English hospitals. He is shortly issuing a full and detailed statement of his projected undertaking. SIR A. STANLEY’S STATEMENT. Sir Arthur Stanley, the president of the British Hospitals Association, has issued the following statement in regard to the meeting of his council:— “ The meeting was not a secret one, but was summoned specially to consider the whole question as to whether we would be willing to distribute money which might come to us as the proceeds of a lottery in a foreign country. A tentative offer has been made to us by a syndicate of London business men to allocate at least 25 per cent, of the proceeds of a lottery, which may be arranged, to British hospitals. So far there is nothing definite, but we appointed a small committee to discuss the matter and to deal with any concrete suggestion, if and when one is made. “ Obviously a lottery could not be held in this country because it would be illegal, but it would be perfectly legal to distribute money given to us in the way suggested. Our association was asked to distribute the money because we are the official organisation of British hospitals and possess the machinery through which it can best be done. “It should bo clearly understood that the British Hospitals’ Association has nothing whatever to do with the promotion or management of sweepstakes. Its function is strictly limited to dealing with such moneys as the committee may agree to accept from the promoters for distribution among British hospitals.” DEVOTED TO CAPITAL EXPENDITURE. Sir Harold Pink, who presided at the meeting, said that it was felt that if the hospitals had a fund like this they could devote it, not, of course, to maintneance purposes, but to capital expenditure. When such offers of assistance were made from organisers of sweepstakes the hospital authorities were not to inquire into the way the money was obtained so long as it was honestly got in a country where the law was not against those who ran sweepstakes. Something had got to be done to stop this flow of money from England and elsewhere into Ireland, he added, and pointed out how greatly many of our own hospitals needed assistance.