STATE LOTTERY

Hokitika Guardian, 26 November 1932, Page 6

STATE LOTTERY

A VIGOROUS DEFENCE

AGAINST ABOLITION

SYDNEY, November 19

No public activity in New South Wales lias been the subject of greater controversy than the State lottery. Before id vy.as introduced the' then Labour Premier (Mr Lang) gave the church an opportunity of suggesting an alternative plan, whereby the hospitals would be financed, and a Church and State Fund was inaugurated, the objective being £50,000 for the first year. Those who sponsored the idea on behalf of the Church made a powerful’ appeal to the public to subscribe so that the lottery would not bo instituted, but the appeal fell on deaf ears, and the scheme was a pitiful failure. A section of the Church has never withdrawn its opposition to the lottery, and the - other day the Church organised one «f the most powerful deputations eve'r sent to the premier, Mr B.; S. B. Stevens, and appealed’ to him to abolish the lotteiy. Speakers said that the lottery was like a lie —a very, pleasant help, but an abomination. Tliere were many other avenues through which' the hospitals could be financed and it was suggested that 3d in the £ out of the i wage tax should be' earmarked for the hospitals. It was time that the Government did its utmost" to discour- ; age gambling of every sort. It was against the moral and economic web fare of the community. The State had no more right to organise a lottery ; than it had to organise a burglary, or license forgery end bribery. To all this the Premier" practically agreed, but be held out no hope that the lottery idch would be 'abandoned. Certainly the Government would not interfere with it during the current financial year, but at the end of June next would review the whole position. He admitted that his own Party—his own Cabinet—was divided on the question.

LOTTERY DEFENDED. The deputation was followed by a vigorous defence of the lottery from tlu* Roman Catholic Bishop of Goulburn (Dr Barry). “The law of God is the norm" of morality,” he said, “and this law is partly written in the hearts of man, and is interpreted by that delicate faculty of the soul which we call conscience. It is also expressed in the Decalogue and in pronouncements cf our Lord Jesus Christ, which are recorded ill the New Testament. Actions that are in conformity with God’s law are good, .and actions which are contrary to God’s law are bad. Some actions are so intrinsically evil that their performance! can never be justified; some* actions are not evil in themselves, but there may be circumstances or consequences that" bring them within the category of forbidden things. So far as I can judge, "the State lottery is not in itself an evil thing. Those who subscribe do so freely. The drawing is above suspicion, and the conditions are known to the whole community.”

It was said, added the Bishop, that the lottery developed the gambling spirit. 'So did a game of marbles. There were very few human institutions that were not subject to abuseeven the most sacred. No one would say that marriage should be prohibited because of the prevalence of birth control and the murder of the unborn. Banks and jewellers’ shops were sometimes an occasion of crime, yet no one would say that those should be banned. It. had to he said for the lottery that it was the source of much assistance for the sick, and that was more than could he said for a good many other institutions. If opponents of the lotery were logical, they must 1 also pub a stop to horse and dog racing, to speculation on the Stock Exchange, to gambling in essential commodities. He had heard of the “salting” of mines, and the manipulation of the stock market, hut he had never heard it suggested that every contributor to the lottery did not have a fair chance. If the rich man was allowed to speculate on the Stock Exchange, why should not the poor man be allowed the luxury of dreaming his dreams and building his castles in Spain? Thera might be evil consequences dependent on the lottery, but they were insignificant with other social sores a.fflicting the body politic. To-day, as in the days of Christ, he feared that there were some who would strain at the gnat and swallow the camel. Birth control that threatened the very existence of the race, the murder of the unborn, divorce and secularism, were far more dangerous to the physical and spiritual well-being of the race. Week hv week the public proves that it wants the lottery. It will be a brave politician who proposes its abandonment ..