THE LOTTERIES BILL.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1037, 22 October 1877, Page 3

THE LOTTERIES BILL.

OPINIONS OF CANTERBURY COUNCILLORS. The Hon. Mr Hall has introduced into the Upper House a Bill entitled “ An Act to prevent Lotteries and to Regulate Art Unions.” The Bill provides that it “shall not be lawful for any person under any pretence, form, denomination, or description whatsoever, or by means of any device, or contrivance whatsoever, to sell or dispose of, or agree, or promise (whether with or without consideration) to sell or dispose of any lands or tenements, or any estate or interest therein, or any ship or vessel, goods, wares, or merchandise whatsoever, to or among any person or persons whomsoever by means of any game either of skill or of chance, by lottery or chance, whether by the throwing of any dice or the drawing of any tickets, lots, numbers, or figures, or by means of any wheel or otherwise, howsoever.” The next section imposes a penalty not exceeding .-£IOO for an infringement of these provisions. A subsequent clause fixes a penally not exceeding £2OO on any person who “ establishes, commences, or is a partner in any lottery, or in any scheme by which prizes, whether of money, or of any other matter or thing, are gained, drawn for, thrown or competed for, by lot, dice, or any other mode of chance.” And the same penalty is exigible from any person who shall manage or conduct, or assist in managing or conducting ; and for any second offence such persons shall be liable to six months’ imprisonment, Art unions are exempted from the operation of these provisions, but an interpretation very rigidly prescribes how such art unions shall be constituted. These shall mean voluntary associations which have been or may bo formed in New Zealand for the purchase of paintings, drawings, sculpture, or works of art., and the moneys raised under such arrangement shall be expended solely in the purchase of such works of art. But no such association shall bo deemed an art union unless the deed of partnership, or rules, or regulations relating to such association shall have been first submitted and approved by the Attorney-General. The Hon. Mr Hall, in moving on the same question lately, said he had been induced to bring it forward from reading in the Canterbury papers a series of advertisements, of which the following was a specimen “ Morton’s No 6 Grand Festival on the Canterbury Cup.—looo Members at £1. — First horse, £4OO ; second horse, £2OO ; third horse, £100; non-starters (divided), £1.50; starters (divided), £ls0 —less 10 per cent, for expenses. Will be drawn as soon as full by a committee of the subscribers. —J. W. Morton, Treasurer.” This so-called “Grand Festival” advertisement was followed by others in the same strain, which offered prizes from £SOO downwards. He imagined that, although called a “ Grand Festival,” it was nothing more than what used to he culled a sweep, and sometimes an art union, but which, in point of fact, was nothing move nor less than a public lottery—a lottery in which the public were invited to take shares which might entitle them to a prize of £SOO, £IOO, or some other sum. It was an admitted principle of their legislation that public lotteries were a species or gambling which were demoralising, and which ought not to be tolerated in a wellordered community ; and the law was supposed to prohibit them. He had therefore been rather surprised to find the extent to which this system of lotteries now prevailed, and the public—-lie might say, barefaced—manner in which they were advertised. Ho cotild hardly suppose that the Government did not consider the law on the subject sufficient, because this year they had not brought forward the Bill dealing with lotteries which last session passed through the Council but lapsed in another place. He presumed that jjjatter had escaped the attention of the

Government; and he hoped, therefore, to hear from the Colonial Secretary that, their attention having been called to it, they would take such steps, by giving instructions to the police throughout the country, as would put down a system which was, he believed, contrary to law, and which certainly, if allowed to extend as it threatened to do, would have a very demoralising effect upon a very large portion of the community. Motion made, and question proposed — “That it is desirable the attention of the Government should bo directed to the lotteries which are advertised to be held in connection with horse races at various hotels in the colony.” The Hon. Mr Bonar said that a year ago he brought this matter forward, and in consequence of his doing so the Lotteries Bill was introduced last year; and already this session the subject had been mentioned in the Council by his hon friend Mr Lahmann, with reference to a similar state of things on the West Coast, where the evil had extended to such a degree that some steps ought to be taken at once. Within a very few months something like £IO,OOO worth of lotteries or sweeps were going on; and they were confined to a very small area and a limited population. He was certain that it was not a good thing for the community to have such a state of things going on amongst them. Many people took shares in these lotteries —as was the case also at home before they were stopped—when they could not afford to pay their just debts. People invested £lO or £2O, which was not always their own money, in the hope of getting a rich prize. This was a subject which deserved careful consideration, with the view of putting the evil down. It was not confined to horse racing, but extended in every direction. In the last papers from the West Coast he saw that horses and drays were put up as prizes at art-unions, and also buildings, ships, &c.—in fact, any article or thing which the owners desired to dispose of. This was not a good state of things. An undue value was placed upon the goods, and people went into the lotteries simply for the sake of speculation. He would support the motion. The Hon. Hr. Pollen said hon. gentlemen would remember that last session there was a Bill brought into the Council which, if it had been passed, would have had the effect of removing all doubt as to the power of the police to put a stop to these sweeps, the objectionable character of which he was ready to admit; but, unfortunately, on that occasion the virtue of the Council took such a severe expression —including in one category of crime, so to say, the fair swindlers who did them out of their half-crowns at charitable or religious bazaars with those men who, in public houses, got up those objectionable sweeps—that it was found impossible to proceed further with the Bill in the form in which it then was. He thought now, as he did then, that it was in the power of the police to put a stop to these sweeps ; and it would be his duty to make inquiries and see whether that was really the case or not. He admitted the necessity of some action in this direction. The Hon. Mr Robinson did not think that, since he had had the honor of a seat in the Council, the attention of the Government had ever been drawn to a system more vicious or demoralising than the one to which his hon. friend had just directed their attention. These sweeps, or lotteries, or art-unions were becoming an intolerable nuisance, and could be seen go where you will. The whole of ihe furniture in public house bars besides the liquor, which in a great many instances was bad enough to poison people, comprised diceboxes and dice. They would scarcely find a public house counter without them. With regard to the lotteries, they were assuming such proportions that hotels, intended for the accommodation of people who were travelling, and for the comfortable residence of those who reqxiired to use them, were not available for that purpose while these sweeps were going on, and which, extended over a long period during race time. On those occasions these places became regular hells, and hells of the w'orst kind, for they demoralised the youths of the town. As had been observed by an hon. member, young men were inclined to spend money in these lotteries without at the time having the money in their pockets, being probably in expectation of winning some great prize, and thus recouping the outlay, and without taking into consideration what the consequences would be if they were unsuccessful, which of course was the case with ninety-nine out of a hundred. The publichouses at which these sweeps were held were literally crammed while t hey were going on, and it was almost impossible for any one to get into them. A short time ago he was down in Canterbury, and he called at an hotel that was recognised to be one of the best for general accommodation, and one to which people went with their families when they camo to town. Ho wanted to sec a gentleman from Timaru, who was to meet him there. He was shown into the commercial room, and on inquiring for the gentleman ho wished to see, ho was told that no such person was staying there. He went round to several other hotels, and at last, accidentally, met the person he was seeking, who at once took him back to the hotel at which he at first inquired ; and it was then seen that his name was on the slate. The landlady said “ she did not know;” and they seemed to care nothing about customers of that kind, their attention being devoted to the bar and the sweep. In the principal commercial room in that laouse, although it was then early in the racing season, the walls were hung round with advertisements of art unions for racehorses, a certain number of horses to bo put up, each being assessed at a certain value, and the affair so arranged as to make it appear that each person would get a prize. He had no doubt the prize put upon one horse in the lottery was three times the value of the whole lot. He hoped the Government would take some action in this matter, and that it would be in the power of the police to put a stop to such a pernicious system. He really could not tell what it would end in. They were going to great expense in police and gaols, and at the same time they were winking at a system which really found employment for them. For those reasons he hoped the law would bo put in force, and that the police would be very vigilant in seeing that such a system was not allowed to continue any onger. The Hon. Mr Hall was very glad to hear from the. Colonial Secretary that ho believed the present law was sufficient to put down those lotteries. If he understood the hon. gentleman rightly, he would take advice on the subject, and, if necessary, would issue orders to the police. Perhaps ho might bo allowed to say that ho hoped that would he done without delay, because, if the law should bo found to ho insufficient, it would bo a pity to allow this session to pass over without an alteration of the law. Upon tips point he would accept the suggestion of the Hoc. Mr Maotejl) and. would even accvpt a

law leaving to the leligious bodies a monopoly of the right of gambling, which his hon. riend the Colonial Secretary exerted himself to preserve for them last year, when he took under his wing those fair gamblers whom he had now referred to. He was quite willing to concede that point to his hon. friend, if he would make the law stringent in other respects. Ho honed, however, that some action would be taken. The session would probably last for another month ; so that there would bo ample time, if the law was not in a satisfactory state, to amend it. Motion agreed to.