HOSPITALS OF N.S.W.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 May 1931, Page 2

HOSPITALS OF N.S.W.

FAILURE OF APPEAL

PUBLIC LOTTERY SOON

SYDNEY, May 14

The complete failure of its efforts to raise £250,000 for the hospitals is at last admitted by the executive of the Church and State Hospital Appeal. The idea was to raise the sum mentioned and so ward off the necessity for a public lottery, the legislation for which has already been passed by Parliament. All along, the Church has been opposed to the idea of a lottery and was successful in inducing the Premier ito postpone the plan until the Church had lia ( j an opportunity of endeavouring to raise the amount of money that was so badly needed if the hospitals were to remain open at their full strength. Six months ago the Church expressed complete faith iri the people; but the .total fund raised by the appeal was £862 7s 4d for an expenditure on publicity of £3.235 11s 4d. The who.e of the expenses Were met by tho Government out of the Consolidated Fund. The reason for the failure of the appeal can best be given by fflldtiilg the committee ifis presented to tile Government: “TliS proposal fUr the appeal, ’’ it is stated, “was violently attaeked in the Press by gentlemen occupying high positions ttmthig tile clergy, They had do dear Understanding of the position, but declared most emphatically that the, .Council 9f. Churches had po power to commit tho various denominations to such ,a scheme, which was denounced, as a trap laid by the Premier to/stifle the voice of the Church when the appeal failed. In., thip way a . ; tremendous amount of'damage’was done, and the appeal was doomed to failure even before it was launched. Speaking generally, the committees of the various hospitalg were opposed to the appeal.- They regarded it as an unwarrantable trespass on their domain, mistrusted the basis of distribution, and resented the fact that donations were not subject to Government subsidy. Three main factors were re sponsible for the failure of the appeal. They were the economic position, apathy or hostility among the clergy, ■and' opposition, to the Government. Many of the clergy undoubtedly foiled to realise tlie duty they owed, first, to the sick and suffering, and, second, to the .principles of tho Church they served', as it was carefully explained that tile Churches had a twofold object in supporting the appeal, to relieve human; suffering and to provide an alternative; to . gambling as a. means of doing so.”

After presenting the report the committee urged the Premier to explore every avenue for Raising funds for the hospitals before iie proclaimed the Act which gave him the right to institute fl, State lottery. It is a wonder that the Mimmitte* did not know that Mr Lang hud n’rondy done, a great deal of exploring with the object of bolstering up the revenue of the Stat«. It was hardly likely that he would a.gree to the suggestion that he should abandon the Is in the . £ wages tax for hospitals. Thrt idea did not suggest that the committee had a very great grip of the position of the State’s finances”. ,

“Don’t go away with any false hopes,” said Mr Lang. “The money has got to be raised somewhere. Tt bins not been too popular for me to bold this matter over. I realise that to start a lottery now would be to do so in the very worst possible circumstances. J. mm to’d that there are many illegal sweers in New South Wales, and if gambling cannot be cnopressed it had better be controlled.”