RAISING MONEY BY EUCHRE PARTIES.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 143, 18 June 1931, Page 7

RAISING MONEY BY EUCHRE PARTIES.

SCHOOL COMMITTEES APPEAL TO MINISTER. An appeal to the Minister of Education, the Hon H. Atmore, to have euchre parties in aid of school funds legalised was made by a school committee representative last night. Mr Atmore had addressed the members of the School Committees’ Association on the Recess Committee’s report on education, and at question time this subject was raised. .Mr Atmore said that the game itself was not illegal; it depended what it was used for. Mr D. C. M’Donald said that he understood that the children attending the schools *.were under the control of the Minister, and he believed that school committees were the honorary servants of the Minister. It had been held that euchre was illegal. He could not see that if a school was used for the purpose of playing euchre for the school .funds it became a public building. Qhildren to-day were sufficiently well educated to know that euchre was held to be illegal, and they knew when they went to get their prizes or went to their school picnic that the money had been raised by illegal means. Their teachers were trying to make them good, law-abiding citizens, and the 'school committees were showing them that a breach of the law did not matter so long as they were not found out. He urged that the Minister should take up with Cabinet the question of legalising euchre. “I have yet to learn that euchre is illegal; it all depends what it is used for,” replied Mr Atmore, who said that he was not a card player. He did not know that there was any great harm in what the committees did. His answer was that if he knew the school committees of New Zealand as well as he thought he did, he could trust them to do the right thing for the schools. (Applause.) Mr M’Donald read a statement by the Minister of Justice, the Hon J. G. Cobbe, in which it was stated that puchre parties such as had been held by school committees were illegal. “I think you have an answer there from my colleague without asking me that,” was the only reply from the Minister.