PRIZE DRAWING

Southland Times, Issue 22507, 15 February 1935, Page 2

PRIZE DRAWING

CHANGE OF SYSTEM.

MUCH LESS TIME NEEDED.

A change in the method is to take place at the next art* union drawing. As the prize-money and the number of prizes have been increased, the present system of drawing would prove very long, so the use of terminal numbers will be resorted to, with the result that only 12 numbers will be drawn from the wicker baskets used. The old system, as used at the Town Hall last week (says the Wellington Post) required a considerable amount of time, the serial letters _ and each number of every winning ticket being drawn separately. Messrs N. McArthur and B. L. Hammond, who conducted. the draw, have reduced the time required to a minimum, but over three and a half hours were required to draw the 207 prizes. Although the number of prizes in the next art union has been increased to 412, the actual drawing will not take many minutes. The art union will provide for eleven prizes ranging in value from £2OOO to £2O, and the numbers for these will be drawn in the usual way and a. twelfth number will be drawn to decide the winner of a consolation prize, the actual value of which will not be known until the drawing has been made. After the drawing has been made the number for the first prize will provide the numbers of 200 prizes valued at £2, and the number of the second prize will'give the key to another 200 winners of £2. If, as is possible, but most unlikely, the first two prizes should be won by the same number, the second list of £2 prize-winners will be found from the terminal number of the third prize. If, for instance, the first prize is won by 23409 the three terminal figures, 409 will be used to find the first 200 prizewinners, all tickets having those terminal numbers being awarded prizes. The same will be done with the. three terminal numbers of the second winning number to find the other 200 winners. As there are always a number of unsold tickets, it is probable that some of these will be included in the terminal numbers drawn and the sum they represent will make up the consolation prize. 1 It is believed that the new system will lead to a more equal distribution of prizes which will be spread geographically in proportion to the number of tickets sold in the various districts. Those who believe in luck also claim that the new system will help those who have been dogged by bad luck in the past, as the unlucky ones will have a chance to participate in the luck of the big prize winners.