“TAKING A CHANCE."

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4298, 1 August 1921, Page 3

“TAKING A CHANCE."

A HUMAN INCLINATION. On the subject of gambling the Opotiki Herald blossoms fcith as follows : When a man goes on a racecourse and invests a pound on the machine he takes a chance. He may win or he may lose, but, at al,l events, should he have backed an “also started,” he has the compensation of experiencing a thrill as - the horses enter the straight and fight out the finish. Another man attends a . church bazaar and ipvests divers shillings and halfcrowns in raffles, and even if he is of the he can pat himself on the back for being a fine fellow in helping a deserving cans';. Still another, plunges on the Stock Exchange, while another may Venture in the shares of a freezing compa'ny : just where, in the event of misfortune, the two last-mentioned find their consolation, however, we have not yet been able to discover. We mention these instances not to apologise for the gambling habit (which, of course, is hot desirable), but to show that the spirit of taking a chance is i.i most human breasts, and if will take a deal of logic and hard knocks it eradicate it. New Zealand at the present time is hard-up, even the Government of the country has not a penny with which to bless itself, and yet thousands of pounds are sent out of the country for which no return is obtained save in individual cases. Tasmania for many years has been ’•eaping a rich harvest at the expense qf Australia and New Zealand by means of Tattersail’s celebiated sweeps. Some people may consider Tasmania an extremely immoral country, but this cannot be consistently upheld as long as the habit of “taking a chance” in any form exists in regard to woulfi.-be critics. Now, however, Australia has awakened to the situation, and intends to entej upon a campaign of State lotteries, which we hold is not one whit worse than the Stock Exchange, some company ventures, or eyen the church raffle: the principle in each case is the same. Why, then, should hot New Zealand embark on a similar enterprise ? The Australian lotteries will assuredly attract a? lot of New Zealand money, and why not have the manipulation of it ourselves, if only from the point of view of selt-protec-tion. Let it be understood clearly that we are not advocating the encouragement of gambling. The opinion is forced upon us that “taking a chance” is here to stay, and as we cannot prevent it either by moral suasion or Act of,. Parliament, ic should be our aim to look after our own interests, and let the country at least obtain some , return for the expenditure in. respect to the sporting instincts of the pedpffl.