LOTTERIES IN FRANCE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1374, 27 February 1912, Page 5

LOTTERIES IN FRANCE.

SO MORE PERMITS TO BE ISSUED. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright Paris, February 25. The Government lias decided to authorise 110 more lotteries in France. The question of lotteries was discussed in the French Chamber some four years ago. The correspondent of "The Times, writing on July 11!, 1908, said: "the Chamber of Deputies discussed yesterday an interesting subject which it would not have touched upon if time had not hung lieavy on its hands. It was the question of lotteries, raised in the form ot an interpellation addressed to M. Clemcnceau (tho Premier) by M. Menard. The Deputy considers that there are too many lotteries, and that, owing to _ defective mechanism, the charitable objects for which they are authorised do not benefit as much as they ought. As a matter of fact, lotteries arc forbidden by French, law, but thev may be authorised by exception in order to encourage art or with a philanthropic object. It appears, according to jr. Menard, that so many authorisations have been granted of late that it is difficult to find 'concessionnair««. J At present the emission ol 80,000,000f. (J3,320,000) worth of lottery tickets is being made or is about to 1)0 made, in spite of the general law prohibiting lotteries. M. Menard asked for (i new law authorising and regulating lotteries, and, above all, limiting tho number of tickets. "M Olemonceau, in reply, said that during the last three or four years requests for the authorisation of lotteries amounting to some IGOO millions ol francs (.£64,000,000) had been made to him, and ho had refused 500 millions (.£20,000,000) of emission. _ Ho wouM cladlv accept a legal maximum permittin" 'him to refuse authorisations, which it was often difficult not to grant.