THE "SWEEP" BUSINESS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3550, 24 November 1882, Page 4

THE "SWEEP" BUSINESS.

(Melbourne Argus.)

We havo received a letter from ' A Tradesman ' on the subject of sweeps and lotteries, in which the vice of gambling is severely denounced on commercial principles. The writer calls the attention of his fellow shopkeepers to the inaction of tho police, and then proceeds to point out its connection with Ihe state of trade. 'No wonder,' he says, c the tradespeople are crying out at the state, of trade at present.' They have only to take a glance at the papers every morning to see that the money which, under ordinary circumstances, would find its way into their tills, is going to swell the bank accounts of ' Arch Mediums,' ' Original Fox Clubs,'' Novel Oracle Companies,' ' Totalisator Associations,' ' Boz's,' and other promoters of illegal drawings. If the drain be not stopped immediately, our correspondent ventures to prophesy that something like a ' commercial calamity will occur.' He hopes that the tradespeople will combine to demand the suppression of these agencies for supplying the sanguine with pleasing anticipations of a fortune at the ridiculously small charge of £1, 10s, ss, or 2s 6d, as tho case may be, for unless they bestir themselves, he fears that their Christmas receipts will be far below the average takings at that festive season. t Like ' A Tradesman,' we should like to see the public ' sweeps ' suppressed, but as the laws stands, that is more easily said than done. . . . We can only reiterate the Avarning we have given on several occasions concerning the risk which investors run of parting with their money without having a chance of winning. No doubt there are some honest men amongst the ' sweep' promoters, but we should not like to say the same of the troop that has sprung up lately. There is no publicity about the drawings, and 'mediums' will either issue what lists they please, or quietly withdraw without even going through that trifling formality. If people will throw their pounds into the pockets of such men, we cannot help it, but when they havo to curtail their Christmas fare, to the disgust of ' A Tradesman,' they will not be able to say that they fell amongst thieves through want of warning.