“TREASURE HUNT."

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16938, 12 January 1923, Page 9

“TREASURE HUNT."

PROMOTOR FINED £2O. PENALTIES FOR GAMES OF ■ vila&ai*:.: CHANCE. (Special to the *' Star.”) TIMARU, .1 aiiuary 11. Surprise packets, pools, a chocolate wheel and a treasure hunt were features of the recent carnival which caused money to flow into the coffers of tho Caroline Buy Association, and which also caused the appearance of the promoters of the various game* before Air E_ I>. Mosley, S.M.. at the Magistrate’s Court to-day. In convicting and. fining the six defendants concerned, the Magistrate commented that the money was raised tor “a laudable and deserving object” hut that ho had to administer tho law a.; it was set down in the statute, book. George Stephen Cray was charged with conducting a treasure hunt and with establishing a surprise packer scheme, Leslie Smith with conducting a surprise packet scheme, George Triggs with conducting a prize pool, Andrew Stewart with assisting to conduct a chocolate wheel, Noble Campbell with assisting to conduct a chocolate wheel, Charlie Shannon Young with conducting a surprise packet scheme, and David Beck with conducting a dart pool. It was held by the prosecution that the surprise packet scheme -was a lottery and that the other offences were games of chance. Detective Abbott said that the Caroline Bay Association had devised a H’heme for raising funds for the improvement of the bay generally, anl included in the scheme were the games which had brought the defendants before... tho Court. On December 21 witness had personally warned Air Cray that such games as the chocolate wheel, surprise packets and miners’ rights were games of chanoe, and that it they wore played at the carnival the promoters and persons talcing part m them would be prosecuted. On December 2d uud 27 and January 3 and i the carnival was in progress and included Liie games. VYitnes. described tho working of tho chocolate wheel, by which bats with numbers on them were sold and the number corresponding to ihat indicated after the turning oi the wheel won a box of chocolates. Tho miners’ rights scheme was one by which rights were sold to dig for tins of treasure buried in the sand. Ihij, however, did not seem to take on too well, as people did not like digging in the sand on a hot day and it ran ioi only one day. In the dart pool money was placed on numbers and a dart thrown at a spinning wheel to determine the winner, whilst in the prize pcoi. money was placed on number*and a marble determined the winner. At first prizes were offered to the winners, but as these were not too favourably received money was substituted The prosecution contended that tha surprise' packets formed a lottery. In some cases the prizes were greater in value than lg. Mr Campbell, for the defence, said the defendants were not conducting tha games for monetary gain. They belonged to an unregenerate section of the community which could see no harm in a little gamble. The Magistrate said that during th > War many such schemes were winked #r by tho law .and money bad been secured by mean* of surprise packets and similar schemes, but we were now •supposed to have returned to normal life In carnivals and such things, t lie re was. he regretted to say, nothing like a little bit of a gamble to bring in the money. We were a nation of gambler. 3!. Even if we did not gamble in such an innocuous thing as a chocolate wheel we gambled in stock or in houses. The legislature, however, hod had plenty of time to repel the low regarding games if it were thought necessary, but the law- had not been repealed and we must therefore take r. that the consensus of opinion was that these Things were contrary to th > well-being of the community, and members of the community must cease from carrying on sucli methods of raising easy money. The law provided for substantial penalties. Air Cray was warned by the police and should have been satisfied with that warning, but a he continued he must have though;. k w ould pay him to pay .whatever fine v;.s inflicted. The Bench was only administering the law as it was set down and could not inflict a nominal penalty. Air Gray for conducting treasure hunt would l>e fined £'2o and costs. He had been treated as the chairman and head of the proceedings, and was. therefore, fined considerably more than the others In the Magistrate’s opinion the object was an ox ticrnolv laudable anri deserving one. 'l iie other defendant- would each bo lined £2 and costs.