LOTTERY FOR HOSPITALS

Taranaki Daily News, 16 January 1931, Page 9

LOTTERY FOR HOSPITALS

SERIOUS ISSUE IN BRITAIN ALTERNATIVE SOON TO BE FACED. FIRST PROSECUTION IN ENGLAND By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, Jan. 14. British hospitals have not abandoned the plan to promote sweepstakes abroad. The inquiry committee which is investigating the legal position firmly believes that subscriptions will at least total £2,000,000. It is pointed out that there is considerable interest in the project on the Continent, where several Legations expressed a desire to discuss it. The committee believes that the Bri- ■ tisli Government will very soon be faced with alternatives of. new legislation rendering purchases of lottery tickets next to a criminal action, or of authorising a limited number of lotteries under responsible control. “In view of the enormous interest the project might easily be a first-class election issue, swaying the votes of the multitude,” adds the committee. The first prosecution in England for selling Irish sweepstake tickets was carried out under the Lotteries Act (1823), when J. Windsor Stevenson, manager of a cinema at Birmingham, was fined £5 with 48s costs on five summonses for selling Grand National, sweepstake tickets. The prosecution emphasised that the •police regarded Stevenson’s cinema screen announcement that he had tickets to sell as a serious offence. The magistrate expressed the opinion that if he lived in Ireland he would favour the Act under which the sweep-; stake was held, but pointed out that he had to administer the English law. If the Free State were offended at the punishment of people for ticket-selling it was a matter for the Government.

Over £160,000 has already been subscribed for the Grand National sweepstake, chiefly in Britain.