STATE LOTTERIES SUGGESTED

Southland Times, Issue 23556, 9 July 1938, Page 5

STATE LOTTERIES SUGGESTED

FINANCING OF PUBLIC HOSPITALS

AUCKLAND LOCAL BODIES DISCUSS QUESTION

(United Press Association) AUCKLAND, July 8. The institution of State lotteries and sweepstakes to finance the public hospitals of the Dominion in the place of the present system of levies upon local bodies was a suggestion considered by the conference of Auckland local bodies held to consider the hospital levy. It was first advanced in a memorandum from the One Tree Hill Borough Council and was subsequently incorporated in a motion introduced by Mr E. F. Andrews, a member of the City Council.

Mr Andrews moved: “That in view of the necessity for maintaining every facility in the care and treatment of the sick and the needy, it is the opinion of this meeting that the Government might consider to its advantage the advisability of providing all the finance required for the administration and maintenance of hospital services by means of State conducted sweepstakes and lotteries.”

The motion also suggested that a referendum should be conducted on the question at the General Election. “The motion is intended to be simply a suggestion to the Government,” Mr Andrews stated. He added that at present large sums were raised by means of the totalizator tax without complaint and he pointed to the manner in which the system of financing hospitals by State lotteries was applied in Australia. Every year thousands of pounds left New Zealand for Tasmanian sweepstakes and he had been informed that New Zealand contributions constituted 38 per cent, of the total. If a referendum were taken he felt that there would be an overwhelming majority in favour of the innovation. Opposing the motion, Mr J. Guiniven, Mayor of Takapuna, said that he thought such a scheme would be placing a premium upon gambling. There was far too much at the present time and he believed it to be a wrong precedent.

The Mayor of New Lynn, Mr A. T. Reiman, who seconded the motion, said the scheme would be a fit and proper method if it were approved at a referendum of the people. Miss Ellen Melville, a member of the City Council, expressed the opinion that local body representatives should not be asked to express an opinion on the question without consulting the people with whom they were concerned.

It was unanimously decided to defer consideration.