“HOUSIE-HOUSIE.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 940, 9 December 1933, Page 29 (Supplement)

“HOUSIE-HOUSIE.”

Move to Stop Gambling Game. PREMIER ASKS FOR REPORT. (Special to the “ Star.”) SYDNEY, December 1. As readers are probably aware, the Stevens Government has been request, ed a great many times by the churches and other religious organisations to stop the State Lottery. It is well known that Mr Stevens personally disapproves of anything in the nature of gambling, but he cannot afford to dispense with the lottery, which raises hundreds of thousands a year for the hospitals. Moreover, many of his colleagues are in favour of the lottery, and Mr Weaver, who is Minister for Public Health, and one of the ablest members of the Cabinet, would almost certainly resign if the lottery were closed down; so that Mr Stevens, while doing his best to conciliate the clerical deputations that have waited upon him, has been compelled to look in other directions for ways of expressing his dislike of gambling. A Crusade. This may help to explain the crusade which has been organised of late against S.P. betting, and it also explains the announcement just made by the Premier that he intends to call for a report on the gambling game known as “ Housie-Housie,” with a view to considering whether it shall be allowed to continue. Perhaps it may be necessary to explain briefly what the game is and what objections can be raised against it. “ The popularity of Housie-Housie ” —so one newspaper informs us—“ dates from the war, when it was a favourite game with the troops and was the only game of chance not frowned on by the authorities.” In those far-off days “ two-up ” schools were systematically broken up, and “ crown and anchor ” devotees were rounded up by the military police. But for some reason difficult to explain, “ Housie-Housie ” seems to have escaped these rigorous attentions. “The game is played in various ways, but the simplified method is by means of a lot of numbered balls, which arc mixed together in a bag. The players each receive a card with a list of numbers; the balls are drawn from the bag, and the corresponding numbers are crossed off the cards, and the player whose numbers are all crossed off first is the winner. Of course, as the element of chance enters into the game, it is a form of gambling. But as usually played it is scrupulously fair, and this, along with its simplicity, accounts for its popularity in Australia.” Conditions of Permit. “ Housie-Housie ” is forbidden in the city, but it may be played in the suburbs under permit from the AttorneyGeneral’s Department. The conditions are that “ the game shall form part of a bazaar, and that not less than 50 per cent of the proceeds shall be devoted to charity”—balance-sheets being submitted to the authorities monthly.

For the purposes of these regulations, four stalls stocked with goods for sale constitute a bazaar or fancy fair; and thus conducted, “ Housie-Tlousie ’’ has proved a most effective means of attracting people and raising money for charitable purposes. The local authorities, however, complain that the “ llousie-llousie ” shows do not comply with the Theatres and Public Halls Acts in regard to size of audience, facilities for exit, and fees; while the ordinary traders and shopkeepers object to their competition. As money prizes may not be offered, the prizes are given “ in kind,” or in the form of orders, and no doubt there is room for objection here. But apparently Mr Stevens is interested in “.llousie-llousie ” because it is a form of gambling, and he believes that by restricting or suppressing it he may do somethin" to restore his personal prestige in the eyes of those who have lost something of their faith in him or their admiration for him because of his refusal to shut down the State Lottery. Taste for Gambling. It seems a pity that so much fuss should be made about so trivial a matter. Most civilised people seem to have developed a taste for gambling, which is certainly a national habit, or a national vice, with the Australians, and if people must gamble, they could hardly do it in a more innocuous way, or devote a larger share of the proceeds to philanthropic purposes. Moreover, in spite of the recent outcry against S.P. betting, nobody here is likely to forget the betting tax and the large revenue derived by the Government from racing; so that the indignation professed by certain parliamentarians at the widespread diffusion of this “ pernicious gambling game ” seems to most people a little exaggerated and artificial. Still, if the suppression of “ Housiellousie ” will heip Mr Stevens to make his peace with the Churches and with the many good people who regard State lotteries with horror, no doubt the edict for its extirpation will be duly pronounced.