STATE LOTTERIES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20667, 4 March 1937, Page 6

STATE LOTTERIES

FUNDS FOR HOSPITALS PROPOSAL REJECTED A proposal to recommend to the Government that a State lottery be inaugurated in New Zealand to augment the amounts available lor charitable purposes, was rejected by the conference of the Hospital Boards’ Association in Timaru yesterday. The following remits were presented by the Buller Board: “That in the opinion of this Board, the amounts available for charitable purposes, as from art unions, would be greatly augmented if a state lottery were inaugurated on similar lines to that operating under Government control in New South Wales or Tattersail’s in Tasmania.” “That a state lottery would intercept almost the whole of the money now going to consul ations overseas and find employment for people within the Dominion instead of contributing in that direction elsewhere.” The Hon. W. Mclntyre (Buller) in moving the remits said it was generally agreed that large amounts of money were going to Australia. At the present time there were privately promoted lotteries from which Hospital Boards had drawn small ahiourits. In his opinion it would be better if the Government ran lotteries and devoted proceeds to charitable aid.

Mr J. Smeaton (Grey) said he was of the opinion that if a lottery was run similar to that in Queensland the Government would be doing something on the right lines;

Mr W. M. Howell (Palmerston North): “It would be a disaster if Hospital Boards relied oh gambling for some of its revenue.” The population was hot sufficient to run a lottery, but it would be better if the Government increased fines on illegal operations. Mr A. H. Cfttman <Wellington) said that it would be retrograde to go back to gambling for part of hospital finance. Mrs W. A. Ross (Otago) explained that the Irish hospitals were of a particularly high standard as a resultt of the Irish Sweepstake. It was impossible to stop people from gambling, and the hospitals might as well have some of the revenue for capital works which were urgently required. The opinion that many sections of the community participated in outside lotteries was expressed by Mr E. M. Powell (Buller), who said that even a clergyman had drawn a prize in a sweepstake under a fictitious name. Tasmania was smaller than New Zealand and was running one of the best sweepstakes in the world. Mr T. Pryde (Southland) referred to the report of the commission into State lotteries in South Australia, which was to the effect that a system of lotteries for charities was objectionable on many grounds. He was amazed that anyone could suggest that the hospitals could be better financed as a result of the introduction of gambling. It was all “piffle.” The remits were defeated, only 15 voting in favour.