BISHOP ON GAMBLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3774, 13 July 1926, Page 36

BISHOP ON GAMBLING.

MENTALITY BEING CREATED. HUSHED UP DEFALCATIONS. WELLINGTON, July 6. "I think it is time to say that in British countries there is a growing dislike for hard steady work,” said the Bishop of Wellington (Dr T. H. Sprott) in a discourse on gambling in his charge to the Diocesan Synod to-day. ‘‘l do not think that this dislike is confined to any one section of the people. It is probably a complex phenomenon to which there are several contributing factors. 'I would, however, suggest that the prevalence of gambling is one potent factor.” Dr Sprott said he it to be a fact* that gambling was becoming increasingly prevalent in British countries, New Zealand included. He believed that this increasing prevalence was recognised to be a most menacing evil, not only by people who, like himself, were inclined to regard the act of gambling as being essentially unethical, but also by many thoughtful persons who held that m itself the act was entirely innocent and only became evil when indulged in to excess. The Bishop did not think that cases of defalcation before the courts offered a real measure of the direct evil effects of gambling. He suspected that there were more such cases than ever appeared in the courts. He imagined that employers often, x perhaps most often, contented themselves with summarily dismissing the delinquent. They did not want the bother of legal proceedings nor did they wish to put the stigma of conviction upon a young fellow who had still got to make his way in the world. Perhaps, too, relatives or other friends came forward to make good the defalcations, but be such cases few or many they did not, in his opinion, exhaust the evil consequences of gambling, especially when, as in British countries, it had become general throughout the community. Modern psychology watned us how almost omnipotent continuous suggestion might be. Our young men and young women, our boys and girls, were being continuously subjected to the suggestion that ty the expenditure of a shilling or half a crown they might in the twinkling of an eye acquire a sum of money which they could not hope to gain by years of steady work. A gambling mentality was being developed which he was convinced had not a little to do with that dislike of steady work which was becoming such a menace to the Empire. Bishop Sprott concluded: ‘‘l have no expectation that gambling, any more than any other vice, can be entirely suppressed by legislation. The attempt to do so would require übiquitous police, and even so the question would soon arise, “Who will keep an eye on the police?’ And there is a reason which would make any general legislation especially difficult in New Zealand. Public opinion is already so demoralised that it migh be difficult always to find juries willing to conviet even on the clearest evidence. Such miscarriage of justice is not wholly unknown in the legal history of the Dominion, but the fa-ofc that legislation cannot do everything does not mean that it cannot do anything. I think the Government would even now find suffisient public support m sternlly suppressing art unions which are manifestly demoralising, and here I would express my thanks to the Prime Minister for his recent pronouncement on the subject of art unions. I hope that he w»Il legislate in accordance therewith. His many friends, doubtless with much justification, speak of him as the man who gets things done. Mav we hope that he will get this thing done ?”

The following appeared in our Second fgdition last week: —