ART UNION CONTROL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, 11 December 1925, Page 3

ART UNION CONTROL.

BALANCE-SHEETS REQUIRED. Now regulations governing art unions are being brought into force by’ the Government, the Minister of Internal Affairs possessing absolute powers in this direction under Section 92 of the Gaming Act, 1908, yvithout further legislation. Authority to conduct several art unions for large prizes was given befoore the Minister aecided_ to restrict the amount of prizes to £SOO, and therefore the public will still have a number of opportunities of taking what must be a very long hazard for fortune, but it is possible the regulations now adopted will apply’ to them.

11l the past it has not been obligatory to submit balance-sheets to the Department, and it is not known what the j revenue has been. In future balance [ sheets will lie required. The practice has been for all art unions to be drawn I under the supervision of responsible I police officers, and they are to be provided with all the counterfoils of tickets sold, although, of course, this is no guarantee against the possibility of fraud by agents. However, it has been decided that there must be no “broadcasting” of books of tickets to encourage sales. Sellers must apply for their tickets. It has also been decided that the tickets must not bear any advertisement or promise offering to buy the alluvial gold or whatever form prizes may take. The prizes must be handed over in the form stated. ls ' :o bo no selling of tickets in public places or in factories, boarding-houses, or places of amusement by children under 16 years. No limit has been placed upon the number of tickets that may be sold in art uilions, the purpose of which is for public benefit—the R of a sports ground, for instance but in cases where an artist has authoi y to Tattle pictures, the amount » stnctly limited to the value placed upon them bv the Department. . The Department has been keeping a close watch upon “sweep organised in Australia an . countries, the tickets for which they have distributed in New Zealand, evidently w ith the aid of a directoiy, and in a number of recent eases they have, been prescribed the delivery of letters through the New Zealand post having been prevented.