THE LOTTERIES AND GAMING BILL.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2273, 15 July 1881, Page 3

THE LOTTERIES AND GAMING BILL.

To the Editor of the Globe. Sir —Allow me to make a few remarks on your excellent leader of the 13th inst. re lotteries and gamieg. You commence by aeying “ the goody-goody portion of the community are in a great state of excitement respecting the passage of the Gaming and Lotteries Bill now before the House,” You again say—” There can be no doubt of of this that until consultations are declared to be illegal throughout the whole of tho Australasian colonies, it is useless for such an enactment to bo made in one part of it.” Here, sir, I agree with you, because Fnglishmen as a rule are a gambling community ; perhaps not eo much as some foreign countries, where gambling for very large turns of money are allowed by their governments, and superintended by people set a part to sea tho game carried out religously. Why not concede this or something akin to it to New Zealand P

The clergymen 'of New Zealand wish to put these consultations down, but can they expect the Government to do so while they carry out their art unions, bazaars, &c. It is these same clerics that ought to show a precept good that is now crying out against themselves. They have sinned, and they know it; and as to charitable lotteries, it is only because those who are possessed by the gambling spirit can join in no other lotteries that they join in these for charitable purposes. The managers of these know this, though they may not be ready to admit that they do; but, if pressed on the subject, they speak of spoiling tho Egyptians; of the end justifying the means, and to forth. If the clergy of all denominations would abandon gaming in their churches for, say, seven years, I have no hesitation in saying that two thirds of the laiety would fellow in that direction without legislation. I say throw out the Bill in toto ; or, if not, concede to us thejright of licensed houses by enactment. License the house ; license the keeper of such house, after knowing that he is a man of good morals, of good standing in society, and with means to cary out what the Legislature enacts; then these men can be held responsible by the Act the Legislature puts in force, and if this Is not done, consultations will still go on, only under some other form or name. O’Connell, tho greatest barrister of his day, said “No Act ever was passed but a coach and eight could be driven through it.” And, sir, you may depend upon It, the lights of the people using their own money, and in their own way, can never be legislated for by any Government. Sir, in conclusion, you have justly remai- ed that New Zealand would;Ioose £20,000 per annum, and more every year as wo add iu our population. In fact, we are now legislating for those to come, and perhaps such crude steps as are now taken by the Legislature may be tho moans of keeping many from our shores. These opinions, and many more, I can assure yon, sir, is that o! twothirds ol the population, ladies included. Yours, &0.. ONE OP THE PEOPLE.